Tag: Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita verse which enhances my faith & conviction in Krishna Consciousness

All the verses of Bhagavad Gita enhance my faith and conviction in Krishna. But one verse which stand out is the verse from Bhagavad Gita 18.37.  In this verse Krishna says, “That which in the beginning may be just like poison but at the end is just like nectar and which awakens one to self-realization is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness.”

I can relate with this verse and can say with full conviction that each word of this verse is true.  Especially this one from the verse “which appears poisonous in the beginning but becomes nectar in the end.” I have applied it in my life. And have always got the same result which is Krishna is saying.  In fact, I apply this verse almost daily in my life.

Because of past conditioning and ignorance, spiritual activities appear troublesome to me. In fact, as mentioned in this verse, poisonous, viṣam iva.

Spiritual activities appear poisonous in the beginning but becomes nectar in the end

For example, getting up early in the morning and doing mangal arati appears very difficult. Chanting sixteen rounds of Hare Krishna Mahamantra appears tedious. And I do not find much interest in reading literatures like Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam and other books of Srila Prabhupada. All these important spiritual activities are poisonous to me. Every day I have to struggle to complete these important spiritual activities.

So, every morning I remind myself of this verse. I contemplate on its meaning. I tell myself that these activities are now looking poisonous but if I exert myself, give up laziness and complete these spiritual duties I will experience “happiness in the end.” This is what Krishna is promising in this verse. So, I keep faith in the words of Krishna and I complete all these activities like mangala arati, chanting the names of Krishna, reading spiritual books. And almost every day, at the end of the day, I find that once I complete these spiritual activities, I feel so satisfied and happy from within. 

Sense gratification appears nectar in the beginning but becomes poisonous in the end

But if I indulge in sense gratification like browsing internet, reading political news, doing prajalpa (mundane talks) then while doing these activities I feel some sort of so-called happiness. But after spending time in these non-Krishna Conscious activities, almost all the time I fret. I curse myself saying that what was the need for me to waste my time in this way. Sense gratification is a waste of time, and it takes us away from Krishna. So, Krishna has warned us in Bhagavad Gita 18.38 that sense gratification may appear like nectar in the beginning, but it becomes poison in the end.

“That happiness which is derived from contact of the senses with their objects and which appears like nectar at first but poison at the end is said to be of the nature of passion.” Bhagavad Gita 18.38.

Once we begin doing, we begin enjoying

One of the great things about spiritual activity is that before we start doing it, it appears troublesome. But as soon as we start doing it, we start experiencing pleasure. For example, getting up early in the morning, taking bath, making preparation for mangal arati appears unpleasant. But as soon as we start making preparation for mangal arati and start worshipping the deity, we start enjoying from within.

Similarly, once we begin chanting, we feel nice. And once we complete chanting 16 rounds of Hare Krishna Mahamantra, we feel so happy and so lucky. It gives us a sense of accomplishment. And also, once we have read few sentences from Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam then slowly we find ourselves getting absorbed in reading.

How Bhagavad Gita 18.37 verse helps me on the day of fasting?

On the day of fasting especially on the day of nirjala ekadasi this verse helps me a lot to successfully complete nirjala ekadasi. Nirjala ekadasi means fasting for 24 hours without water. On that day I keep on reciting this verse in my mind throughout the day and contemplate on its meaning. I keep on telling myself, “One day of trouble and sacrifice and the next day I will be on cloud nine, I will get lots of spiritual happiness.” And by remembering this verse I have been able to complete nirjala ekadasi for last many years.

Similarly on other days when I have to fast like during Janmashtami, Gaur Purnima, Narasimha Chaturdasi and other ekadasi days I keep on remembering this verse.

Spiritual life is full of nectar

Upon contemplation I come to the conclusion that we all have developed a wrong understanding that spiritual activities are troublesome. Because if spiritual activities would have been troublesome then I would have felt miserable after completing it. I have never seen any devotee in my entire life who felt miserable after chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra or after attending managal arati.

When we go to Mayapur we get up in the morning to attend 4:30 am Managal arati. We feel so blissful and happy seeing the deities of Radha Madhav and asta sakshis, of Panchatattva and of Lord Narasimhadeva. It’s a divine experience. And when we look around, we find everyone – men, women, children, old people – happy. Even those who come for the first time to the temple are also blissful.

When we do Govardhan Parikrama on foot in Vrindavan, we feel so exhausted. The parikrama marg is around 21 km and it takes 6-7 hours to complete the parikrama. During the parikrama, we get completely exhausted. Legs become stiff. We have to exert a lot to move ahead. But devotees do not give up. With full faith in Krishna they continue the parikrama. And once we are able to successfully circumambulate Giriraj Govardhan we feel so satisfied and happy. I have never met any person in my life who regretted the decision of doing Govardhan Parikrama.

Conclusion

This is the reason that I strongly believe what Krishna says in this verse “that spiritual life appears like poison in the beginning but becomes nectar in the end.” It has increased my faith and conviction in Krishna’s words. Because I have personally experienced it.  

In this verse Krishna also says that activities in the mode of goodness such as spiritual practices lead to “self-realization.” I cannot say much about self-realization because I have not attained it. But one thing I have realized that no matter how hard we try, we can never be happy by satisfying the unholy demands of our mind and senses.  But if we engage our mind and senses in Krishna Consciousness then we will be happy.

To conclude, “Krishna Consciousness appears difficult initially, but if we practice it with determination and faith then the end result is extraordinary.”

Essence of Bhagavad Gita according to Srila Prabhupada, the founder acharya of Iskcon

Srila Prabhupada, the founder acharya of Iskcon, writes that Bhagavad Gita 11.55 is the essence of Bhagavad Gita.

Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita 11.55, “My dear Arjuna, he who engages in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being – he certainly comes to Me.”

Here Krishna has given us a process following which we can attain him. In fact, Krishna is giving a guarantee that we will go back to him. So, Srila Prabhupada calls this verse the essence of Bhagavad Gita.

Let us discuss how we can apply this formula given by Krishna in our personal life and attain the ultimate goal of our life.

All work should be done in relationship with Krishna

We all have to work for living but we should not be attached to the results of our work. We should know that Krishna is the proprietor of everything. It implies that Krishna is the enjoyer of the fruits of our work. So, all the results of our work should be offered to Krishna. Srila Prabhupada explains, “No work should be done by any man except in relationship to Kṛṣṇa. This is called kṛṣṇa-karma. One may be engaged in various activities, but one should not be attached to the result of his work; the result should be done only for Him.” Bhagavad Gita 11.55 purport.

Whatever activities we do we should do it in relationship with Krishna. Doing activities in relationship with Krishna also means we should do only those activities which is authorized in the scriptures. Any activity which is against the sastric injunctions should be given up. So, we should not choose those occupation to earn money which break the four regulative principles like no meat eating, no gambling, no intoxication and no illicit sex.

As a practicing devotee, you and I should do work for the pleasure of Krishna. We should not be attached to the fruits of our work. And we have to make sure that we do not do anything which is not authorized in the scriptures.

Earned money should be used to serve Krishna

Most of the devotees are householders, grihastas. A grihasta has to work outside and earn money. But we should be careful that we do not use the earned money for personal enjoyment. Money belongs to Krishna, so it should be used to serve Krishna.  Krishna should always be the centre of our life.

Our house is Krishna’s house, so we should make it a temple of Lord Krishna

The house you and I live in does not belong to us. Krishna owns it and has presently allowed you and me to live there. Since the house belongs to Krishna, so it should be converted into a temple of Lord Krishna. We should have a nice and big altar of Lord Krishna in the house, which I have currently. We should worship the Lord daily with love and devotion as per the instructions of Srila Prabhupada. Altar should be clean. The altar and the Lord should be decorated beautifully with colourful flowers. At home we should cook nice food items for the Lord and should offer him with love and devotion.

Daily we should chant Krishna’s holy names and perform kirtan at home.  Also we should make sure that our family members become devotees of Lord Krishna. And we should do our best to engage them in devotional life.

Visit the temple regularly, serve the deities and the devotees

It is also important that we should regularly visit the nearby Iskcon temples and do service there. Based on our capacity, we should also donate money to the temple which will help the temple in serving the Lord and in spreading Krishna Consciousness.

Attaining Krishna should be the only and ultimate goal of our life

Krishna should be our only worshipable Lord and our only goal should be to attain love of Krishna and return to the spiritual abode of Lord Krishna. To attain Krishna, we should engage in the nine process of devotional life especially hearing and chanting the Lord’s names. Srila Prabhupada has given us a process by which we can constantly engage in hearing and chanting. For this, it is important that we regularly associate with the devotees of Krishna.

However, we may come across those people also who are not devotees of Krishna especially at our workplace or in our neighbourhood. But we should make sure that we have only working relationship with them not heart to heart relationship. We should not waste our time in discussing mundane topics with them like of politics, sports or movies. But instead, we should have a desire to always associate with the devotees of Krishna. And in that association, we should discuss Krishna Conscious subject matters and help each other in advancing in spiritual life.  

One important aspect is that we should strictly avoid those who are against Krishna Consciousness like mayavadis, agnostics and those who speak ill of Krishna. Their company will spoil our consciousness.

Serving the humanity by spreading Krishna Consciousness

I should do my best to share Krishna with others. Making people Krishna Conscious is the greatest welfare activity.  All are suffering in this world because they have forgotten Krishna. All the problems like economic problem, social problem, political problem is there because people do not live as per the rules and regulations of Vedic scriptures. Once a person becomes a devotee of Krishna and start living Krishna Conscious life then all the problems will disappear.

Srila Prabhupada explains, “A Kṛṣṇa conscious person knows that if a man is suffering it is due to his forgetfulness of his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, the highest benefit one can render to human society is relieving one’s neighbor from all material problems. In such a way, a pure devotee is engaged in the service of the Lord.” Bhagavad Gita 11.55 purport

Following the footsteps and guidelines of Srila Prabhupada we should preach the message of Krishna. This is the best way to serve the society and the humanity. This will bring peace and bliss everywhere.  

Conclusion

The ultimate essence of Bhagavad Gita is to take complete shelter of Krishna. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, appeared in this world to give this message to us. He has given us a process in Bhagavad Gita 11.55 by which we can purify our heart and return back to Krishna. If we engage in the service of Krishna as prescribed by Krishna without any motive and enjoying mentality then we will attain complete perfection.

In conclusion we can say, “the essence of Bhagavad Gita is to know Krishna, to serve Krishna and to return back to Krishna.”

Bhagavad Gita 9.26 explains how to easily do Krishna Bhakti

Bhagavad Gita 9.26 explains how to do Krishna bhakti, devotion to Krishna, easily and attain Krishna. The process given is simple and can be performed by anyone.

Lord Krishna says, “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.” Bhagavad Gita 9.26

Krishna sees the intent of our action

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is not much interested about the items we are offering to him, but he is interested with what intention we are offering those items to him. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He owns everything which is there in the entire creation. He is self-sufficient. So, he does not need anything from us. But he expects one thing from us and i.e. love. And that love should be free from all desires. Should be pure and selflessly.

Most important qualification to do Krishna Bhakti

It is not that only rich people can worship Krishna. Or only Hindus or those born in India can worship Krishna. It is also not that only brahmanas, learned philosophers or scholars are eligible to worship him. Also, Krishna is not saying that only men can worship him. He has not put any such conditions. In fact, through this verse Krishna is inviting each one of us to become his devotee. Men and women, young and old, rich and poor, Indians and non-Indians, Hindus and non-Hindus all the eligible to become a devotee of Krishna.

This is why in this verse Krishna is saying that he accepts offering from anyone who has devotion, bhakti, for him. “Devotion to Krishna” is the most important and the only qualification required to become a devotee of Krishna. So, in this verse the word bhakti is mentioned twice.

Explicating Krishna’s magnanimity, Srila Prabhupada writes, “Who is such a fool that he does not want to be Kṛṣṇa conscious by this simple method and thus attain the highest perfectional life of eternity, bliss and knowledge?” Bhagavad Gita 9.26 purport.

Is it not true? Anyone can get a fruit or a flower or a leaf or water and worship Krishna.  Is there any place on this earth where these items are not available? Definitely not. So, Krishna the Supreme Father of all living beings, aham bija-pradah pita, is giving everyone the opportunity to become his devotee and come back to him.

Krishna refused Duryodhana’s feast

In Mahabharat we see that Duryodhana had arranged for a big feast for Krishna, but Krishna refused to eat those food items because Duryodhana had no love for Krishna. Instead, Krishna enjoyed simple food items at the house of Vidura because Vidura and his wife, Vidurani, had great love for Krishna.

Vidura’s wife, Vidurani, was so overwhelmed to see Krishna that while offering banana, she offered him the banana peels instead of the fruit. Seeing her love for him, Krishna happily started eating the banana peels. Krishna is not hungry for food. Although self-satisfied Krishna always looks for our love.

What food to offer to Lord Krishna?

In this verse one other important point to be noticed is that Krishna talks about only vegetarian items which he accepts as offering. He does not say stuffs like egg, fish, meat, liquor etc.  If he would have wanted those, he would have mentioned those. So as devotees we should only offer those items which Krishna likes. That is true love. So, we should offer only vegetarian items to him. Fruits, milk, vegetables, grains, water should be offered to Krishna with love. 

We also eat food for survival. So, first we should offer food to Krishna and then we should accept those food in the form of prasad or Krishna’s remnants. Eating food without offering to Krishna incurs sin. But when we eat Krishna prasad then we are freed from all kinds of sins.

Krishna confirms this in Bhagavad Gita 3.13, “The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.”

Srila Prabhupada explains the benefit of eating Krishna prasad, “….preparing nice, simple vegetable dishes, offering them before the picture or Deity of Lord Kṛṣṇa and bowing down and praying for Him to accept such a humble offering enable one to advance steadily in life, to purify the body, and to create fine brain tissues which will lead to clear thinking.” Bhagavad Gita 9.26 purport

However, while preparing the food and offering the food to Krishna the element of bhakti, devotion should always be there.  If we do not serve Krishna with love, we won’t get Krishna’s love.

How Krishna eats food we offer to him?

This verse also establishes one important fact that Krishna is personal and not impersonal. The impersonalist philosophers will not be able to understand this verse. The impersonalists wrongly think that Krishna has no form, no senses.  But how can Krishna relish the food items offered to him without senses. The impersonalists fail to understand that Krishna too has senses like us.

But unlike us Krishna’s senses are transcendental. Our senses are limited and can perform only one function. For example, we can only see with our eyes, eat with our mouth and smell from our nose. But Krishna can do anything by any of his senses.  He can see with his eyes, hear from his eyes and only can eat with his eyes. Similarly, he can eat, see, hear, walk, talk from his mouth. His senses are extremely powerful. He impregnates the living entities in this world just by looking at the material nature.

Krishna too has feelings and he loves to reciprocate with the devotees in a personal way.  So, when we offer food to Krishna with love then he accepts it, eats it and enjoys it. And when we are able to give joy to Krishna our life gets filled with joy.

Conclusion

This verse explains how to do Krishna bhakti easily and effectively. The process explained is so simple. The only requirement is that it should be done with love and devotion.  And the end result is that we will attain Krishna.

What Krishna says about demigod worship in Bhagavad Gita?

Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita discourages the worship of demigod. Those who do not know the difference between Krishna and demigod, worship demigod believing that demigods are also Supreme God like Krishna.  So, Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that “men of small intelligence worship demigod.”  Generally, those people who have lots of material desires surrender to demigods and engage in demigod worship. Demigod worshipped believe that a particular demigod can quickly give them results.

Who are demigods?

Demigods are jiva tattva, living beings, like you and me. They also live in this material world. Demigods are much more powerful than you and me but they are not as powerful as Krishna or Krishna’s plenary expansion.  Demigods live in the higher planets like sun planet, moon planet and other heavenly planets.  Because of their punya (piety) they have been given very important responsibilities by Krishna to manage this material universe.

They are empowered representative of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Lord. They get their power from Krishna.  Let us understand relationship between Krishna and the demigods.

• Just as a king has different ministers to take care of his kingdom, similarly the demigods assist Krishna in managing this material creation.
• All the ministers in a kingdom work under the king as per his instructions.  Similarly, the various demigods who have been given different responsibilities to manage the affairs of this material universe work under Lord Krishna.  They act as per the will of Krishna.
• Just as ministers remain in the cabinet as per the pleasure of the king similarly the demigods remain in their position as per the pleasure of Krishna.

Indra, Surya, Chandra, Vayu etc are demigods. Even Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma are demigods. But Lord Shiva has a unique position.

Importance of performing yajnas to please demigod

Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita 3.10 that to live happily in this world and to attain liberation it is important that we cooperate and please the demigods.  Demigods are pleased by the performance of sacrifices, yajnas. And when they are pleased, they supply all the necessities of life so that we can live happily in this world. Bhagavad Gita 3.11.

Who is actually worshipped in yajna?

However, when one performs yajna for the demigods then one indirectly worships Lord Vishnu or Lord Krishna. Lord Vishnu is the plenary expansion of Lord Krishna. Lord Vishnu is the yajna – pati. The yajna – kunda is the mouth of Lord Vishnu and the fire of the yagna – kunda is the tongue of Lord Vishnu. In all the yajnas Lord Vishnu is the chief beneficiary.  

Srila Prabhupada, the founder acharya of Iskcon, explains, “Some of the yajnas are meant to satisfy particular demigods; but even in so doing, Lord Viṣṇu is worshiped in all yajnas as the chief beneficiary. It is stated also in the Bhagavad-gita that Kṛṣṇa Himself is the beneficiary of all kinds of yajnas: bhoktaraṁ yajna-tapasam.” Bhagavad Gita 3.11 purport.

The results one gets by worshipping the demigods is actually given by Lord Krishna only. Krishna says this in Bhagavad Gita 7.22.

So, if we worship Lord Krishna directly then there is no need to separately worship the demigods.

In this age of Kaliyuga the best yajna is the sankirtana yajna i.e. the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. It pleases Krishna and when Krishna is pleased demigods also become happy.

Why the result one gets by worshipping demigods is limited and temporary?

Those who are less intelligent and does not know that demigods are parts and parcel of Krishna worship demigods for material benedictions. Since demigods are not Supreme Lord, so the result one gets by worshipping the demigods are limited and temporary.

The worshipped of demigod goes to the planet of demigod after leaving the body.  They live in the planet of demigod till his piety is not exhausted. Once their pious deeds come to an end, they have to leave the planet of demigod and have to come to the earthly planet again. Also, we have to understand that the planets of the demigods are in this material universe only. The planets of demigods are devastated at the time of annihilation.  Also, those who reside on the planet of demigods continue to live in this material world only where there is repeated cycle of birth and death.  

But when one becomes a devotee of Krishna then he returns to the planet of Krishna which is permanent and from there no one returns to this material world.

Krishna says, “Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.” Bhagavad Gita 7.23.

When one goes to the planet of Krishna then one never comes back to this material world. In the planet of Krishna there is no disease, old age and death.  Also, there is no misery. Everyone lives happily with Krishna for eternity.

When we worship Krishna, the results are limitless and permanent.

So, it is said that instead of worshipping the demigods one should worship Krishna, the Supreme Lord. In fact, demigods also worship Lord Krishna.

Why separate worship of demigod not required for devotees of Krishna?

In Srimad Bhagavatam 4.31.14, it is explained that if we water the root then automatically the branches, twigs and leaves gets satisfied and if we feed the stomach then the entire body gets nourished. Similarly, if we worship and serve the Supreme Lord Krishna then automatically all the demigods and the living entities gets satisfied. It is because the demigods and living entities are parts and parcels of Krishna.

So, for devotees of Krishna separate worship of demigod is not required as explained in Bhagavad Gita. In Krishna’s Govardhan Lila also we see that Krishna did not approve the worship of Indra, the demigod. And in that pastime, we see that Indra, the king of heaven, begs forgiveness from Krishna for his mistake.  He understands and accepts that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he is subordinate to Krishna. He is Indra because Krishna gave him that post.  Indra one of the most prominent demigods, while offering prayers to Lord Krishna says, “O Lord, You have shown mercy to me by shattering my false pride and defeating my attempt [to punish Vṛndāvana]. To You, the Supreme Lord, spiritual master and Supreme Soul, I have now come for shelter.” Srimad Bhagavatam 10.27.13

So, devotees of Krishna respect the demigods but worship Krishna, the Supreme Lord. This in fact pleases the demigods. So Bhagavad Gita recommends worship of Krishna and not the worship of demigod.

What Bhagavad Gita says about death? Its inevitable.

In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna speaks about death, rather strongly.  He says that death in this material world is inevitable. So, we should not feel sorry for those who are dying. Everyone who is born in this world will die one day.

No matter who you are you will die one day. The agents of death can knock at your or mine door at any moment, and we cannot do anything.

Greatest conquerors have failed to conquer death

I had once seen a movie “Final Destination.” The movie shows that a group of students of a college boards a plane to go to France.  One of the students while on the plane gets a paranormal experience. He sees the future. He sees that soon after the takeoff, the plane catches fire and crashes. Everyone dies. He starts shouting saying that the plane is going to crash. He asks everyone to deboard the plane else they will die. It creates chaos inside the plane. Everyone thinks that he has gone insane. The airport security takes him off the plane. And the plane really crashes immediately after takeoff. He escapes death.  

The student feels that he was also supposed to die with others in the plane crash, but he escaped death. But death won’t leave him. Sooner or later, it will follow him. To survive, he needs to defeat death. He starts doing research on death and tries to understand how death strikes. And what is its pattern?  

His apprehensions are true. Death tries to strike him again and again. But with his intelligence and proper planning he is able to outwit death each time. He finally survives in the movie.  The concept of the movie is quite fascinating.

But such things happen only in reel life and not in real life. In real life it is impossible to conquer death. The greatest conquerors in this world have failed to conquer death.

Death may come without any prior notice

During this Covid pandemic many of us have got this realization.  Many people whom I knew closely have died. In fact, they died helplessly. All the powerful governments of the world have terribly failed to save the life of the people. They have failed to save even themselves. Many influential political leaders have succumbed to Coronavirus. Everyone seems helpless.

Not just because of Coronavirus, people are also dying for other reasons. Or it would be correct to say for no reasons.  Sometimes death strikes without any prior notice, within few seconds life comes to an end.

Recently I had an experience that how life can end within few moments.  

The Devastating Day

It was just like any other day. I started my office work from home. Because of lockdown, I have been working from home for more than a year now.  The sky was clear. I opened the window for fresh air and got into my work. 

But soon by noon the sky got covered with thick clouds. It became completely dark. We had to switch on the lights. Soon there was thunderstorm accompanied with lightning. Thunderstorm is not uncommon in Kolkata. We have got used to it.

But that day it appeared as if the sky was too angry.  There were multiple layers of cloud in the sky, and they were all roaring. After every few seconds lightning was striking. I could see that many of it fell near our house.  

I was seeing the wrath of the nature from my window.  Soon the lights went off. Although it was middle of the day but the room was completely dark. Nothing could be seen. The security personnel did not immediately start the generator. Maybe they were afraid to go to the generator room.

My wife had put lunch plate at the altar and was about to offer food to Lord Krishna. She used mobile torch for light and kept it near the altar.

After offering the food, she went to the balcony. The sky was still roaring, and the lightning was falling from the sky again and again.

One such lightning it appeared fell very close to our apartment. My wife ran from the balcony. She said that she could experience the force of the lightning and it had made her numb for few seconds.

She said that it looks like these are the clouds of devastation. Something like sāṁvartaka cloud which Indra sent to destroy Vrindavan.  

Lethal lightning kills the kids

After few hours weather became normal. Next morning the maid who does not live too far from our apartment informed that two children – a boy and a girl – who were playing near her house got burnt alive due to lightning strike.  The maid was in shock because she knew the kids. They were brother and sister and were small. Seeing the rain, they ran outside to play. 

The children’s mother did not expect something terrible was to happen. She was watching her kids play as she used to do daily while doing her household chores.  But suddenly the lethal lightning fell upon the children.

Everything happened in few moments. Mother could not do anything. Nobody could have done anything. Her life fell apart.

It was the same lightning strike which had frightened me and my wife. It seems that the cloud of devastation had come to take the life of those two children.

In material world death is everywhere

Srimad Bhagavatam informs us that in this world there is danger at every step – padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām.

In Bhagavad Gita too Krishna clearly says that this material world is a place of misery – duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam.

Krishna also says that everyone in this material universe has to die.  No one can escape death. Here death is everywhere. Even if you and me go to the highest planet of this material world – Brahmaloka – still we won’t get freedom from death. Only in the spiritual world, the kingdom of Krishna, there is no death.

“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 one who attains to My abode, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again.”  Bhagavad Gita 8.16

Death is too painful

It is true that as a soul we never die. We are eternal. But in this material world we are again and again forced to leave our current body and accept a new temporary body. That process is called death. And death is extremely painful.

When we die, we are forced to leave everything which we are attached to in this world.

We all have experience that when even a small thing which we are attached to is taken away from us, we feel so miserable.  We love our mobile phone, and we lose it, we feel so terrible.

If someone is attached to his house and he is forcibly evicted from the house, he is devastated.

A person had a beautiful house. I would see his house daily while going to school. It was a big bungalow painted in pink. Government decided to build a bridge over the Ganges connecting cities. As per the design made by the engineers the pillars of the bridge had to be laid down in the area where the pink bungalow was built.

That beautiful bungalow had to be demolished. The owner of the house was in shock. He opposed the move. He fought a legal battle in the court. But the court said that the bridge is going to serve the people, so let it be built. Let your house be demolished, take the compensation. When the municipal authorities came and started demolishing the house, the owner of the pink bungalow could not bear it. He got a massive heart attack and died. He was very much attached to his house.

At the time of death, one experiences pain of 42,000 scorpion bites

Just like we are attached to our house, we are also attached to our body. In fact, we identify ourselves with our body every moment.  As a soul, we reside in our body. This body is our home.  And one fine day we are asked to evict the body. How terrible we will feel?  We will be forced to leave our family members and friends. The thought of it makes us sick.

Death is not just painful physically but also emotionally.

To make us understand how painful death is, Garuda Purana says that at the time of death, a person experiences pain equivalent to 42,000 scorpion bites.

Bhagavad Gita says to escape death return back to the spiritual world

So, Vedic scriptures like Bhagavad Gita says that we should not be too attached to this world because this world is temporary and here death is everywhere. In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says that we should strive hard to return back to the spiritual world where there is no death and life is permanent.

“That which the Vedāntists describe as unmanifest and infallible, that which is known as the supreme destination, that place from which, having attained it, one never returns – that is My supreme abode.” Bhagavad Gita 8.21

Death is present only in this material world. And not in the spiritual world.  In the spiritual world no one dies because of Coronavirus or lightning strike.

So, Krishna wants us to return back to the spiritual world.

In Brihad-Bhagavatamrita, it is explained that Lord Krishna becomes so happy when Gopa kumara returns back to the spiritual world from this material world. While welcoming gopa kumara to the spiritual world Lord Krishna says, “In the material world you had to suffer so much because of heat, cloud, rain, thunderstorms and lightning. I am happy that you are back to my kingdom.”

This is why Bhagavad Gita says that if we want to escape death, we should return back to the spiritual world, the kingdom of Krishna.

How to apply teachings of Catuh – Sloki – Bhagavad Gita in personal life?

The four verses of Bhagavad Gita – BG 10.8, BG 10.9, BG 10.10, BG 10.11 – are called catuh – sloki – Bhagavad Gita.  Catuh – Sloki – Bhagavad Gita is called the essence of Bhagavad Gita. Because in these four verses Krishna shares the topmost knowledge and also reveals his heart.

Krishna through these verses establishes that:

1. He is the Supreme Lord
2. His pure devotees are always absorbed in his meditation.
3. He shows special mercy to his pure devotees.
4. His pure devotees attain him by his mercy.

Taking shelter of Krishna always

In the first verse ofCatuh – Sloki – Bhagavad Gita Krishna says,

“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.

Here Krishna is clearly saying “ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo,” i.e. “I am the source of all material and spiritual worlds.” This verse makes it clear that Krishna is the Supreme Lord, no one is superior to him. It implies that all the demigods including Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma derive their power from Krishna.  

So, in all situations and circumstances we should take shelter of Krishna and not the shelter of demigods.  We should have firm faith that if Krishna is pleased then automatically all the demigods will be pleased. So, there is no need for me to separately worship any demigods.

Focusing on śravaṇaṁ, kīrtanaṁ and smaraṇam

In the second verse ofCatuh – Sloki – Bhagavad Gita Krishna says,

“The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me.” Bhagavad Gita 10.9

Here Krishna is glorifying his devotees. The Lord says that his devotees mind (mat–cittāḥ) are always engaged in him. And their lives (mat–gata–prāṇāḥ) are devoted to him.  His devotees derive great pleasure and satisfaction in talking (kathayantaḥ) about him and preaching (bodhayantaḥ) about him.  

Everyone wants to be happy in this world. But unfortunately, we look for pleasure in the outside material world. The so-called pleasure which we experience in this world is never going to satiate our hearts. In fact, it always results in frustration. In this verse Krishna is telling us how we can experience unlimited happiness and satisfaction in our life. 

So, we should not waste time and energy in searching for happiness in this mortal material world. But we should utilize each and every moment of our life in practicing devotion to Krishna. This is the elixir for all our miseries.

For bliss in our life,

• We should completely absorb ourselves in hearing (śravaṇaṁ) about Krishna
• Chanting (kīrtanaṁ) his holy names and glories
• And should always try to remember (smaraṇam) his wonderful pastimes.

Applying teachings of Bhagavad Gita 10.9

To apply the teachings of Bhagavad Gita 10.9, we should take following practical steps:

• Hearing at least one hour of Krishna conscious lecture daily. We can hear lectures of either Srila Prabhupada, HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj or other senior sannyasis and devotees of Iskcon
• Reading one hour of Srila Prabhupada’s books daily like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.
• Memorizing slokas and vaisnava songs so that we can keep on reciting it whenever possible.
• Hearing kirtan or Vaisnav songs while doing office work or household work if the work is not too mentally engaging.
• Preaching the message of Krishna proactively. We should try our best to spread Krishna Conscious movement.
• If possible, writing Krishna Conscious articles regularly. We can try to publish the articles in Iskcon’s official magazine – Back to Godhead. Or we can try to publish it on Iskcon authorized websites like Iskcon News and Dandavats. We can also have our personal blogs where we can post the articles. We can allocate sometime to write the articles. It can be 15 minutes or 30 minutes daily.

Whatever we hear or read or speak, we mostly contemplate upon those subject matters. So if we are properly engaged in śravaṇaṁ and kīrtanaṁ then smaraṇam i.e. remembrance of Krishna will also be taken care.

Our focus should be to deepen our relationship with Krishna by constantly engaging in devotional service.

Endeavoring to attain Krishna’s special mercy

Krishna is our supreme father and more than us, he is eager that we return back to him.

So, in BG 10.10, Krishna says that if someone is constantly devoted (satata–yuktānām) in serving Him then he gives them understanding (buddhi–yogam) to come to him.

“To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” Bhagavad Gita 10.10.

And in the next verse, BG 10.11, Krishna says that he shows special mercy (anukampā–artham) to his devotees by completely destroying (dispel) devotees’ ignorance with the shining lamp of knowledge (jnana) which is the cause of suffering.

“To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.” Bhagavad Gita 10.11

We suffer in this world because of ignorance.  And in ignorance we take decisions which becomes the cause of more suffering. Lust, greed and anger contaminates our intelligence and knowledge. And under the influence of these anarthas(vices) we take decisions. Such decisions instead of bringing bliss in our life makes us more miserable.

Suffice to say in our conditioned state we do not know what is right and what is wrong for us.

But if we are devoted to Krishna then the Supreme Lord who is our supreme father guides us towards the right path. That path is the path of peace and joy. This helps us to live happily in this world. And Krishna even gives us intelligence by which we can ultimately attain him. This is Krishna’s special mercy.

Applying teachings of Bhagavad Gita 10.10 & 10.11

If we want to attain Krishna’s mercy, then we should apply the teachings of BG 10.10 and BG 10.11 in our personal lives in following ways:

• We should be more sincere in our devotional life and get actively engaged in Krishna conscious activities.
• We should understand that our knowledge & intelligence is currently impure. So before taking any decision we should pray to Krishna for right guidance.
• Along with that we should also see that the decisions which we are taking is in line with guru, sadhu and sastra.
• Also before taking any decision, we should discuss with senior devotees. This will always help us to make right decisions which will be pleasing to Krishna.

These are the practical ways to apply the teachings of Catuh – Sloki – Bhagavad Gita. If we succeed in doing so, we will attain the mercy of Krishna.

How to gain control over your mind as per Bhagavad Gita?

In Chapter Six of Bhagavad Gita, Lord Sri Krishna describes in detail about the importance of controlling the mind. He tells Arjuna that by controlling the mind he can attain complete perfection in life. He makes it clear that without mind control, no one can attain peace and bliss in life. 

Let us see the verses related to mind control spoken by Krishna in Bhagavad Gita, Chapter Six.

Bhagavad Gita quotes on mind control

• “One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.” Bhagavad Gita 6.5

• “For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.” Bhagavad Gita 6.6

• “For one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached, for he has attained tranquillity. To such a man happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.”Bhagavad Gita 6.7

• “A transcendentalist should always engage his body, mind and self in relationship with the Supreme; he should live alone in a secluded place and should always carefully control his mind. He should be free from desires and feelings of possessiveness.” Bhagavad Gita 6.10

• “Thus practicing constant control of the body, mind and activities, the mystic transcendentalist, his mind regulated, attains to the kingdom of God [or the abode of Kṛṣṇa] by cessation of material existence.” Bhagavad Gita 6.15

• “When the yogī, by practice of yoga, disciplines his mental activities and becomes situated in transcendence – devoid of all material desires – he is said to be well established in yoga.” Bhagavad Gita 6.18

• “As a lamp in a windless place does not waver, so the transcendentalist, whose mind is controlled, remains always steady in his meditation on the transcendent Self.” Bhagavad Gita 6.19

• “Gradually, step by step, one should become situated in trance by means of intelligence sustained by full conviction, and thus the mind should be fixed on the Self alone and should think of nothing else.” Bhagavad Gita 6.25

• “From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the Self.” Bhagavad Gita 6.26

• “The yogī whose mind is fixed on Me verily attains the highest perfection of transcendental happiness. He is beyond the mode of passion, he realizes his qualitative identity with the Supreme, and thus he is freed from all reactions to past deeds.” Bhagavad Gita 6.27

Why Arjuna says it is extremely difficult to control the mind?

Arjuna was hearing Krishna patiently. But at one point of time he looked confused. Krishna understood Arjuna had some doubts. So, he paused. Without wasting a moment Arjuna said, “O Madhusūdana, the system of yoga which You have summarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless and unsteady.” Bhagavad Gita 6.33

It is true that one who has controlled his mind can attain anything in his life. But our mind is most of the time unsteady, uncooperative, and restless.

Arjuna goes to the extent of saying that if you instruct me, I will conquer all the enemies. If you order me, I can even control the wind. But if you tell me to control the mind then it won’t be possible.

“The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Kṛṣṇa, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.” Bhagavad Gita 6.34

We are completely helpless in front of our mind.  Just like a lamb is helpless in front of the tiger.

Many yogis and mystics have tried in the past to gain control over their mind, but they failed. Sage Viswamitra renounced everything, retired to the forest, and did penance(tapasya) for several years. But he too failed to control his mind. As soon as he saw Menaka, he could not resist himself and got allured.

There are innumerable such examples. Even great personalities face so difficulty in controlling the mind.

You suffer because of your uncontrolled mind

You and I too face so many challenges in life because of our restless mind. Whether it be your personal life or professional life, you face difficulties because your mind does not allow you to act wisely.  It compels you to indulge in certain activities for which you regret later.

You easily get distracted because of your uncontrolled mind.

Your restless mind does not allow you to focus on your work.

A student knows that if he studies hard, he will get good grades. But as soon as he opens his books within few minutes his mind takes him to some other world. His attention span is so short.

This is why we see many students who may be sitting with their books for hours but does not get good grades. Because they never studied.

Working professionals too face similar problem. You may be sitting at your work desk trying to complete your task, but you are not able to focus. It is not that you do not know how to do your work, but your mind does not allow you to concentrate. You are not able to sit for long hours and work. You easily get distracted.

After every few minutes, you begin checking your emails knowing very well that no important email is going to come. But you check because you are not able to focus on your task.

Again, you start working but after few minutes you start browsing internet. You look for some breaking news. You again and again check Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. You take breaks which are not required. You chitchat with colleagues to kill time.

So, a piece of work which you could have easily completed with few hours of focussed work, you take several hours or even days to complete it.

Just before an important meeting you frantically try to complete your presentation or status report.  It is only after repeated reminder emails that you complete internal trainings. You keep on procrastinating.  

You do not work proactively. You work only when an external force is applied. Just like a horse does not pull the cart unless it is whipped.

It is not because of lack of knowledge or talent that you do not grow in your professional life. But it is due to lack of self-discipline and commitment.

You remain mediocre because your mind remains distracted. It always overpowers you.

What advice Krishna gives in Bhagavad Gita to control the mind?

Arjuna, 5000 years ago was facing similar problem. Arjuna was not an ordinary personality. He was a formidable warrior. The best archer of his time. He had defeated many enemies. Had won many battles. But he too appeared helpless in front of his mind.

Krishna completely agreed with Arjuna.  He too said that controlling mind is indeed difficult.

But he did not stop there.  He immediately said that “It is not impossible!”

Krishna gave Arjuna hope.  In fact, he is giving hope to you and me.

Arjuna is not asking questions for himself only. He knew that everyone in this world face similar challenges. So, he is asking questions on behalf of you and me.

And Krishna is not answering only to Arjuna. But he is even answering to us.

He is asking us not to get disheartened.  He is assuring us that there is a way by which we can control our restless mind. 

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna, “O mighty-armed son of Kuntī, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment.” Bhagavad Gita 6.35

So, he recommends two process:

1. Practice
2. Detachment

Controlling the mind by practice (abhyāsena)

Practice means to do something repeatedly till we become proficient.  

For example, when a child for the first time tries to ride a bicycle, he falls. He may start thinking that it is impossible for him to ride a bicycle.  During the process of learning he fails many times. But by trying again and again he learns the skill. He then fearlessly enjoys his bicycle ride.

It is true that controlling mind is more difficult than learning a bicycle.

But think when you were a child. You also initially thought riding a bicycle is impossible. You envied when you saw your elder brother or sister riding the cycle. You desperately wanted to be like them. And one day you succeeded.

Similarly, with practice you should try your best to gain control over your mind.

When you were a kid, you had enthusiasm. You had hope. You had a strong desire to learn something new.  Now when you grow old, you lack enthusiasm, hope and a desire to take up challenges.

But you need to nurture childlike enthusiasm. You should have hope in the words of Krishna. And a strong desire to subdue the mind.

What practice to do to control the mind?

You should practice focusing the mind on the activities you are doing currently. You should not allow the mind to get distracted.  You should bring back the mind to the present state as soon as it wanders.  

Will you succeed immediately. Definitely Not. Will you fail initially. Definitely Yes.

But you have to keep on trying.

And by repeated practice, you will ultimately attain victory over your mind.

The great Vedic sages practiced meditation to control the mind.

They meditated on the holy names and transcendental forms of the Lord. When their mind got distracted, they would force their mind to focus on their object of meditation.

Mantra meditation is the best way to gain control over your mind

In the present age mantra meditation is the recommended process to gain control over our restless mind.

You should chant the holy names of Krishna. While chanting you should focus on the words of the Mahamantra (Hare, Krishna & Rama) and simultaneously try to hear the transcendental sound.

We all who chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra have the experience that during chanting, our mind wanders many times. It is not unexpected.

But immediately we should bring back the mind from wherever it has gone and focus on chanting.

Initially when one starts chanting, mind wanders frequently. I remember during my college days when first time I held the beads in my hand and began chanting it was impossible to chant. I was not even able to chant for 5 minutes.

But by constant practice today I can chant for around 2 hours daily. I have spoken to many devotees and almost everyone has similar experience.

So, when we start chanting, our uncontrolled mind does not allow us to chant. But you should not give up. You should force yourself to chant. After repeated practice for few weeks, you will find that mind is not giving the same trouble as it was giving earlier. 

It takes several years of repeated practice to attain complete control over the mind. But during your initial days also, you will experience that you are in a much better situation. The mind is now not wandering a lot.

Mind has become more controlled. And if with patience you continue the process of practicing mantra mediation then eventually you will win over the mind.

The mantra which you will say are not ordinary words. When you chant ‘Hare Krishna’ it means you are praying to Srimati Radharani (Hare) and Krishna, the Supreme Lord. When we chant ‘Hare Rama’ you are calling the names of mother Sita and Lord Rama.

So, when you chant these holy names your mind gets purified of all bad thoughts and harmful impressions. You start getting freedom from negativity, freedom from lamentation and hankering.

As mind starts getting pure it becomes less restless. It becomes easy to control the mind.

How detachment (vairāgyeṇa) helps to gain control over the mind?

Vairagya or detachment means freeing your mind from those material activities which is harmful for the mind. When your mind associates with matter it becomes impure. And an impure mind troubles a lot.

So, you should not expose your mind to those environments which aggravates lust, anger, and greed.

But you should always expose your mind to such environment where it becomes peaceful and calm. Where it gets filled with positivity.  

Chanting the holy names of Krishna, reading literatures like Bhagavad Gita, being in association of sincere devotees of Krishna will help a lot in purifying the mind of all impurities.

Srila Prabhupada explains, “The more one hears about Krishna, the more one becomes enlightened and detached from everything that draws the mind away from Krishna. By detaching the mind from activities not devoted to the Lord, one can very easily learn vairāgya. Vairāgya means detachment from matter and engagement of the mind in spirit.”

Also, you should not do any activity which is not authorized in the Vedic scriptures like Bhagavad Gita. 

When you spend significant time in practicing Krishna consciousness then gradually your mind will get free from all the impurities which is the root cause of your uncontrolled mind. A purified mind is easy to control.

And a controlled mind becomes your best friend. You are then able to accomplish great results.

Conclusion

Controlling mind is a herculean task. But by following the formula given by Krishna in Bhagavad Gita, you can gain control over your mind. Krishna is teaching that by practice and detachment it is possible to control the mind. And a controlled mind will become your best friend.

Once your mind becomes your best friend, it will assist you in whatever activities you will do.

If you are a student, then you will be able to study hard with single minded attention. You will no longer face failure but will always get very good grades in exam.

If you are a working professional then you will be able to do your work with sincerity, with complete attention. You won’t get distracted. You will be able to complete your work in time and even before time. No last minute hurry. No stress. No fear of being reprimanded by the boss. No fear of being laid off because of poor performance.

One of the most important point you need to remember is that all activities should be done by keeping Lord Krishna in the centre.

If you do your duty sincerely by keeping Krishna in the centre, then it will become a spiritual activity. It will please Krishna. When Krishna gets pleased by your endeavour your life becomes successful.

In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna gives an invaluable tip as how to gain control over the mind.

You should follow it as it is and enrich your life.

You will surely attain success and enjoy a peaceful and blissful life.

Also Read

• Controlling the mind with intelligence as per Vedic literatures

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How to control the uncontrolled senses?

The lady in the golden flame looks pretty to the moth.  Her fiery smile makes him dance in joy. Its not that she is smiling just at him but at all. But the moth believes her smile is only for him. And so he without wasting any moment runs desperately to be with her. As he inches closer the golden lady looks much prettier and he becomes desperate to embrace her. 

The lady looking bright yellow spreads her arms for him and the moth with a hope to enjoy unlimited pleasure jumps into her arms. But immediately his hope turns into nightmare, happiness into deep agony. His beautiful wings which allowed him to play with the wind and jump from one plant to another to play with the colorful flowers is now in fire.

Soon he realizes his efforts will go in vain and so slowly he surrenders himself to her and allows himself to be devoured by her.

We all may feel for the moth or may even pity him for his foolishness but his story and our story is not much different. This material world too looks extremely attractive externally and provides us a hope of unlimited enjoyment.   It promises that the thirst of all our senses will be quenched forever once we fully surrender to her. 

But just like the ocean which is filled with water cannot satisfy a thirsty man similarly the vast resources of this material world cannot provide any pleasure to us.

The material energy binds us in this material world by our senses. The more we try hard to enjoy here our senses becomes wild and strong.  And instead of we being in control of our senses our uncontrolled senses take control of our lives. Like a puppet the senses make us dance as per its whims.

Just like the moth we suffer terribly and find it extremely difficult to free ourselves from the grip of uncontrolled senses.

But since we are humans and not a moth, an insect, we have an opportunity to free ourselves from the clutches of the senses.  The sacred literatures advise us that since we have a human form of life we should act intelligently and not waste our time and life in pursuing worldly pleasures. 

“An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses.” Bhagavad Gita 5.22

With this knowledge we should try our best to restrain our senses from acting whimsically.   But to act against our senses and win the battle is almost impossible. However if we seek protection of Krishna, the Supreme Lord, then he being our best friend and well-wisher immediately comes to our rescue. 

If we muster courage and say no to the demands of our senses and engage it in practicing devotion to Krishna with determination then sooner or later our senses get purified. Krishna also gives us strength so that we can take control of our senses and use it cautiously.

Initially the senses may resist but if we continue engaging it in Krishna Conscious activities then slowly it starts enjoying being in service of Krishna. In such a state, scriptures tell us, we attain independence from material miseries and enjoy unlimited transcendental bliss.

How to give up bad habits and develop new habits?

Why we distributed Bhagavad Gita on Christmas day?

We decided to celebrate 25^th Dec i.e. the birthday of Jesus Christ by distributing the transcendental teachings of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  Jesus Christ is the messenger of God, the son of God. He appeared in this world to free the suffering souls from the miseries of material existence and wanted us all to return to the kingdom of God. And Bhagavad Gita, one of the most sacred and popular literatures of the world, informs us how we can attain liberation from material miseries and return back home back to godhead.

When Srila Prabhupada started disseminating the unadulterated teachings of Gita then it immediately attracted the people all over the world. Be it a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian or people from any other religion they started appreciating the message of Gita.  “Bhagavad – Gita As It Is”  written by Prabhupada has widely got distributed in almost every country of the world, have got translated in almost all the languages of the world.

Srila Prabhupada had a desire that everyone should read and distribute this literature to as many people as possible.

So we thought that 25^th Dec being a Christmas holiday we should utilize our time in sharing the knowledge of Gita with other people.

We were total 15 devotees and we planned to distribute books at Eco Park, Kolkata. It was estimated that more than 1.5 lakh people will come there on the festive season. We divided the task among ourselves.

Parthasarathi Prabhu, Sayak Prabhu, Ashok Prabhu, Gaurav Prabhu had the responsibility of identifying the place where we could put our table to distribute the books.

Biswa Swaroop Prabhu Prabhu was to collect the books from the Iskcon temple. He then came to my house so that we both can carry together table and other books which I had.

Although we had decided to start distributing books from 1:30 pm onwards but we could start only by 3:45 p.m. It was becoming very difficult to find the venue. Biswa Swaroop Prabhu and I was driving on the road for almost 2 hours searching for the venue.  We had initially thought of doing book distribution at Gate No: 2 of Eco Park but there were barricades everywhere. We then looked for Gate 3, Gate 4 and at Mother’s Wax Museum. Gate 3 and Gate 4 was not a good venue.

Mother’s Wax museum appeared to be a good place but meanwhile the devotees figured out that we can put up our book stall at Gate 1. But before taking the final decision we thought to analyse which would be a better venue – Gate 1 or Mother’s Wax museum.  Biswa Swaroop Prabhu and I were at the Wax museum.  Parthasarathi Prabhu and Sayak Prabhu came from Gate 1 to see the crowd at Wax museum. After short discussion we decided to go to Gate 1 of Eco Park.

So finally after hectic search we put up our book table at Gate 1.  Although the search was tiring but we got immediate reciprocation from Krishna. As soon as we put our table we saw people coming and buying Bhagavad Gita and other Vedic literatures.

Kirtan was playing in the background and devotees especially Ashok Prabhu, Gaurav Prabhu, Sayak Prabhu and Parthasarathi Prabhu were making announcement on mike narrating the glories of Bhagavad Gita, stating how Gita’s wisdom words can transform their lives.

Ashok Prabhu convinced a young boy to buy SSR – Science of Self Realization.  Parthasarathi Prabhu immediately distributed one Bhagavad Gita. Gaurav Prabhu took the books and went directly into the crowds to distribute the books and was able to convince people to buy it. Sayak Prabhu got immediate success and started distributing the books. Swarnavo Prabhu along with his father, Biswa Swaroop Prabhu, also started distributing. Swarnavo Prabhu was able to convince one of his teachers who had come to Eco Park to have Bhagavad Gita. Bijit Prabhu and Parthasarathi Prabhu’s father (HG Chinmoy Gokul Prabhu) also immediately got into the service of distributing the books. Later on Subramaniam Prabhu joined with his wife (Padmalaya mataji) and son, Satyavrat. My parents also joined.  

Service for the pleasure of Krishna has to be always followed by delicious prasadam.

And we had planned about it in advance. Priyanka Sukla mataji had prepared Bhel, Padmalaya mataji had prepared Pakoda, Ashok Prabhu brought sweets. While we were doing book distribution my wife (Kanchana Madhavi) was busy preparing Veg Biryani. We had thought after hectic day of service devotees   should not go back home to cook dinner.

I went to my house with Biswa Swaroop Prabhu to pick my wife and of course prasadam. We got terribly stuck in traffic jam. My house is just 2.5 km from Eco Park but it took almost 1 hour to reach my house. We immediately picked the prasadam and left for the venue.

It was already 7:30 p.m. but devotees were still enthusiastically distributing the books.  Now we thought that everyone should take prasadam.  So everyone sat together to relish the delicious prasadam. It was a spiritual picnic for all of us.

My wife who was at home cooking immediately began distributing the books. And she was able to inspire people to take Bhagavad Gita. One lady was eager to take the books but her husband was too adamant so she gave her at discounted rate.

This we observed that people are ready to spend their money in gratifying their senses, in watching non sensical movies, eating in restaurants but they feel great pain in spending few bucks to buy the sacred books. This is just one time purchase but it can transform their lives forever.

But it is also true that some are very eager to take the books. As a student of Gita and as follower of Srila Prabhupada we just have to keep on trying.

It was a great day for all of us. It was the best way to absorb ourselves in service of the Lord and serve the humanity by gifting them Bhagavad Gita which has transformed the lives of millions of people since time immemorial.