Tag: Krishna

We will never die

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

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

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

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

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Are we chewing the same tasteless stuff again?

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

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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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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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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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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.

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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. 

 

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