Tag: Krishna

Newton proves the existence of God to his atheistic friend.

Purushottam Nitai Das December 17, 2012
Newton, the great scientist, was a firm believer in God. However one of his atheistic friends would not agree with him that there is a supreme designer behind everything. So one day Newton made a gyroscope – a replica of the solar system. When his friend came then he was struck with the preciseness of the model. He asked Newton – How did you make it. Newton replied – I did not do it. It came by chance. His friend laughed and said – Do you think that I am a fool that I will believe you? But Newton kept on insisting that it came by chance. Finally his atheistic friend got annoyed and said – If you don’t want to tell me then its fine but don’t think that I am a fool that I will believe your foolish argument. And then Newton replied – You say that the entire universe which has so much preciseness & is so beautiful came by chance then why do you have difficulty in believing that this tiny model could not come by chance. His atheistic friend was speechless and accepted that the universe has not come by chance but there is a hand of the Supreme designer behind this beautiful creation.

Krishna confirms this in Bhagavad – gita, “I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me” (Bhagavad – gita 10.8)

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20 kids murdered in Kindergarten School in USA.

Purushottam Nitai Das December 16, 2012

Adam Lanza killed 26 including 20 kids and his mother in Newtown, Conn.,elementary school, USA on Dec 24. Is it just the tip of the iceberg? Are we preparing ourselves to witness more such mayhem? Such tragedies shake our conscience and force us to introspect. How can one stoop so low that he can mercilessly massacre innocent children and his own mother? While murdering them what he would have been thinking and feeling? What was the state of his mind at that moment when he would be seeing the dead bodies of little children?

As a society we call ourselves modern and also civilized.  In our pursuit for modernity we are trying to kill the most basic necessity of human existence i.e.  the “feelings” which we have for fellow humans. Most of us have become so self-centered that we do not care for anyone else.

Empty heart becomes a breeding ground for envy and hatred. We don’t find pleasure within and outside. Heart cries in agony and the eyes want to see tears in everyone’s eyes.  We give to the world what we have. Adam Lanza’s heart was devoid of love and gratitude and so he thought every other individual to be his enemy.

The tragedy would have never happened if he would have understood that every living being are his own brothers and sisters. We will love and care for others only if we understand that we are all children of one Supreme Father, God.

Srila Prabhupada explains, “All living beings are eternally connected by their common participation in the divine existence of God. When this existential oneness is obscured through atheism and agnosticism, people are not inclined to be merciful to one another; they cannot recognize their self-interest in promoting the welfare of other living beings. In fact, people are no longer even merciful to themselves: they systematically destroy themselves through liquor, drugs, tobacco, meat-eating, sexual promiscuity and whatever other cheap gratificatory processes are available to them” Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.1.

So as a society we should strive to civilize ourselves by accepting and respecting the higher principles of lives as explained in the revealed scriptures. And as an individual we should endeavour to elevate our consciousness by connecting ourselves to the Absolute Truth.

Let us pray for the departed souls including that of the killer who later committed suicide and also pray that such incidents never ever happen in future.

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Why different religion & different paths?

Purushottam Nitai Das December 10, 2012

  • Suresh was advised by the doctor to smoke just 2 cigarettes per day.
  • Father told Arvind, if he scores pass marks in mathematics then he would gift him a bicycle.

Do the above examples show that the doctor is promoting smoking and the father discouraging his son from scoring 100% in maths?

Absolutely Not. Suresh was a chain smoker and Arvind an irresponsible student. So to bring them on right track they gave them a means by which they can improve themselves. Suresh does not have to smoke daily instead he should gradually give it up. And Arvind should start studying hard so that he can score very good marks in the long run.

We find that people in this world have different levels of consciousness.  Some are in mode of goodness (sattva – guna), some in passion (rajo – guna) and some in ignorance (tamo – guna).

God as the supreme father of all the living entities deals with each person as per his individual level of consciousness. This is why we find that in this world we have different religion and in Vedas also different processes have been suggested to the people based on their individual ability and capability.

For e.g. the meat eaters are allowed to sacrifice a goat. While sacrificing a goat they are supposed to utter the words that in this life I am killing you and in the next life you can kill me. But this is not the highest path.

When Jesus Chirst came to this world then he tried to preach the absolute truth but he was not able to impart complete knowledge because his followers at that time were mostly fishermen. This is why Jesus told that I want to tell you more but you would not understand them. Similarly when Prophet Mohammed preached then his followers were mostly tribesman who would not have the capability to understand the complete aspect of the world. However when Krishna spoke Bhagavad – gita then his student was Arjuna. Arjuna was a very learned scholar, a great warrior. He possessed all the qualification. This is why Krishna gave him the highest knowledge.  

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most confidential knowledge and realization, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence. (Bhagavad – Gita 9.1).”

God is one.  Everything starts from Him. We were happily living with Him in the spiritual world. However we decided to rebel against the wishes of the Lord and so we were sent to this world.

The purpose of all the religions of the world is to gradually elevate our consciousness so that we can develop love for God. One can develop love for God whether one is following Christianity, Islam or Hinduism; the only qualification required is that one should follow the scriptures as it is. One should not misinterpret it as per one’s own liking.

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Have we become complaining machines?

Purushottam Nitai Das December 2, 2012

  • I am not able to properly chant my rounds and even complete my rounds because I don’t get sufficient time.
  • My job is too tough.  Practicing devotional life is too difficult for me.
  • If only my spouse would have been more cooperative I would have practiced Krishna consciousness very sincerely.  
  • I don’t have sufficient money. I need to earn more to properly maintain my family. After I have accumulated sufficient wealth then I will sincerely absorb myself in Krishna’s service.
  • I don’t have association of sincere devotees.
  • What can I do? I am like that only. It is due to my past conditioning.

These and many more problems confront us daily while practicing devotional life.  Most of us have the philosophical understanding at least at the theoretical level that human life is very rare and it should be utilized to practice Krishna Consciousness. When we would have heard for the first time that our real home is the spiritual world where life is eternal and bliss is unlimited then we would have been overjoyed. Delighted at this pearl of wisdom we would have promised to ourselves, “I will dedicate my life for Krishna and ensure that this life would be my last life in this miserable material world”. However soon we fall prey to our old habits of finding excuses for not doing the right things.

One of the biggest problems of our life is our uncontrolled senses. 

Give spiritual sense to the senses

Our senses make us senseless because we don’t have the sense to utilize it for pleasing Krishna’s senses. Our senses always drag us in different directions because most of the time we nourish non – devotional desires. Mind will always give us some idea which will take us away from Krishna. We should not allow our mind to enslave us. Subduing senses with artificial means is impossible; senses can be subdued by engaging in devotional activities. For e.g. we should utilize our eyes in relishing the divine beauty of the Lord, ears should be utilized in hearing the glories of the Lord, tongue should be utilized in chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and in tasting Krishna prasad. In fact, we should dovetail all our activities for the pleasure of the Lord. Soon we would find that our senses is completely spiritualized and is in Krishna’s control. Srila Prabhupada confirms, “But if one is engaged in Krishna consciousness, then, automatically, sense desires subside without extraneous efforts.” (Bhagavad – gita 2.55 Purport). Material world troubles us because we fail to befriend with Krishna’s wishes. Remember Krishna rewards us as per our wishes, “As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly” (Bhagavad – gita 4.11).

Our great fortune

Devotional life is not so easy. But due to the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu practicing devotional life and achieving perfection has become so easy for all of us in this age of Kali-yuga. Srila Prabhupada taught us how we can practice devotion while being in this material world. He opened hundreds of temples and wrote several books so that we can take advantage of these facilities.

Although we have these facilities but still we prefer to suffer in this material world. We lack strong determination and firm dedication. We need to have the determination of the tiny little sparrow who challenged the mighty ocean.

Dare to dry the ocean

The ocean had stolen the eggs of the sparrow and the little bird wanted her eggs badly. She was determined to get it back. The little bird thundered, “Return my eggs else I will dry you”.Hearing this ocean started laughing. But the sparrow was resolute in her purpose. With her tiny little beak she took few drops of water from the ocean and threw it on the surface. She did it again and again. Everyone was amused; the ocean could not control his laughter. But nothing deterred the sparrow. She continued with her endeavour without thinking about success or failure. News spread everywhere about the resolve of an insignificant creature to dry the gigantic ocean. Finally her efforts attracted the attention of Garuda, the king of the birds and the carrier of Lord Vishnu. Garuda threatened the ocean and said, “Return her eggs immediately or else I will completely dry you now.” Seeing the huge size of Garuda, ocean became frightened and within no time retuned back the eggs of the bird.

Most of the time we accept defeat even before giving a try. We get discouraged thinking that this is an impossible task for me to accomplish. Material world is like a gigantic ocean. No matter what we do, our efforts will appear to be insignificant. We do not have the capacity to cross this ocean on our own. But if we are keen to cross the ocean then we need to have the determination of the little sparrow. In our day to day life we come across several difficult situations which appear to be a hindrance in our practice of Krishna consciousness. However instead of counting our problems and becoming a complaining machine, we should cry out for Krishna’s help. Krishna is ever eager to elevate us to the eternal spiritual world. For every material problem there is always a spiritual solution.

For e.g. most of us face problem in controlling our lust. We may try hard to control it but we often get knocked down by lusty desires. However, if we take proper guidance of senior devotees and follow their instructions then success is guaranteed. Our efforts will please the Lord and he will completely burn our uncontrolled lusty desires. Similarly, if we are not getting time for chanting or taste for chanting then still we should try our best to chant & complete our rounds. Lord tests our sincerity. We just need to endeavour to the best of our ability.  . Our determination and sincerity  pleases the Lord as the efforts of the sparrow pleased Garuda.

God helps those who help themselves

To remain happy in this world is very simple but to remain simple is very difficult. Material nature always allures us. We should not get bogged down by our material positions and possessions. We should practice Krishna consciousness in whatever circumstances we are in. “Whether one is without desire [the condition of the devotees], or is desirous of all fruitive results, or is after liberation, one should with all efforts try to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead for complete perfection, culminating in Krishna consciousness”. Srimad – Bhagavatam 2.3.10.

Practicing devotional life does not mean that we have to do things perfectly. We just need to put in our best efforts. Lord Rama was pleased with the efforts of the tiny squirrel who was helping the monkey warriors during the construction of the bridge.

We have to take the decision. Do we want to rot in this world again or do we want to go back to the spiritual world where there is unlimited bliss? If yes, then instead of being a complaining machine and finding excuses for our spiritual lethargy, we should smartly utilize each moment of our life to get closer to Krishna.   Srila Prabhupada explains, “If anyone follows the principles with great determination, the Lord will surely help, for God helps those who help themselves.”  (Bhagavad – gita 6.24 Purport)

So, let us take a vow to dry the ocean of material existence and show our efforts by practicing devotional life with utmost sincerity keeping complete faith in Krishna’s mercy.  

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4 persons were going but only 3 would be returning back. One will never return back.

Purushottam Nitai Das October 21, 2012

There were 2 options – departure date and return date. I was booking train tickets for 4 persons. But when I saw the option for return journey, I got numb. 4 persons were going but only 3 would be returning back. One person will never return back.

One of the devotees in Kolkata had slipped into coma, doctor said that he will not survive and will die in few days. Family members thought to take him to Vrindavan during his last moment so that he can leave his body in a spiritual place. 3 other persons had to accompany him. I was given the service of booking the ticket. And while filling up the booking form I came across this situation that there is no need to book a return ticket for him. Such situation in life baffles us; we are at a loss to express our emotion.

But this is the hard reality of this world. Everyone of us has to go through this situation when we will not return back to our home, to our family, to our friends, to our relatives.

This life is very valuable. We have got a human body which is very rare. Let us make the best use of this opportunity. Let us go back to our home where there will be no death, where life is eternal, relationship is eternal and happiness is eternal. Krishna says in Bhagavad – gita 15.6, “”That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world.”

The only qualification required to go to that eternal abode is by developing love for Krishna. We can develop love for him by chanting his holy names:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Krishna promises us, “And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body, remembering Me, attains immediately to My nature; and there is no doubt of this.” [Bg. 8.5].

So let us best utilize our lives and get back to our original home. There is no use in rotting in this useless world.   

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When Krishna blinks & When he does not blink?

Purushottam Nitai Das October 20, 2012
Krishna has a unique quality – he blinks his eyes & he does not blink his eyes. Krishna blinks to overlook our mistakes & he never blinks when he sees us sincerely being engaged in devotional service.

In this world we find just the opposite. People blink when you do something good to them and never blink if you are doing something which is unpalatable to them.

For e.g. A person may work tirelessly for a company but the company does not hesitate even for a moment to throw him out, if the management feels that the person is no longer profitable for the organization. Parents spend their entire life serving their children but when the children grow up they discard their parents thinking them to be a burden.

But Krishna is not like that. He remembers even our tinniest of contribution and repays it back in multiples. Once when Krishna’s finger was cut then Draupadi tore her sari and wrapped it around Krishna’s finger. Krishna saw Draupadi’s love without blinking his eyes. He was so pleased with her service. And when Draupadi was being disrobed then he repaid it by providing her unlimited saris.

When Putana came to kill little Krishna then Krishna blinked. He blinked because he wanted to overlook her demoniac mentality. Instead he focused on the fact that the lady wanted to serve him by offering her milk to him. This pleased Krishna and he decided to reward her. As a reward she became a nurse in the spiritual world and got an opportunity to serve Krishna.

This is Krishna’s greatness. He loves us even though we don’t love him. So, just imagine how much he will love us when we start loving him.

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Krishna is individual and we are individuals

Purushottam Nitai Das October 16, 2012

Many people have misconception that after performing certain type of meditation he/she can become God by merging into God. However none of the revealed scriptures support this argument. In fact we are always individual and we will always remain so. 

Nowhere in Bhagavad – gita it is said that Arjuna wanted to merge with Lord Krishna.  Bhagavad – gita clearly says that the Supreme Lord is individual and the living entities are individuals.

“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be” (Bhagavad – Gita 2.12)

Srila Prabhupada explains: “The Lord says clearly that He Himself, Arjuna and all the kings who are assembled on the battlefield are eternally individual beings and that the Lord is eternally the maintainer of the individual living entities both in their conditioned and in their liberated situations. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the supreme individual person, and Arjuna, the Lord’s eternal associate, and all the kings assembled there are individual eternal persons. It is not that they did not exist as individuals in the past, and it is not that they will not remain eternal persons. Their individuality existed in the past, and their individuality will continue in the future without interruption. Therefore, there is no cause for lamentation for anyone.”

In Bhagavad – Gita 18.65 Lord Krishna says, “Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend”:-  (Bhagavad – Gita 18.65)

The plurality of the individual soul and of the Lord is an eternal fact which is confirmed by all the revealed scriptures.

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Only Ask – How can I serve you?

Purushottam Nitai Das September 22, 2012

Krishna takes care of all our necessities. He provides food to an insignificant ant and also to a huge elephant. But most often when we approach him we ask for several material things. We think that Krishna is not aware of our necessities. We consider Krishna to be our order supplier and demand several things from him – like good marks, high paying job, palatial bungalow, fancy car, beautiful spouse and so on.

Instead of asking something material we should pray to Krishna to give us intelligence so that we can serve him in the best possible way. Radhanath Swami explains, “Lord preserves what we have and he carries what we lack”. Krishna knows what is best for us. We should not get entangled in our materialistic way of life so much that we forget the essence of life.

Human form of life is very rare, it should be utilized only to develop love for God and return back to the spiritual world. Unfortunately we waste our entire life running behind material pleasure which is not just frustrating but also very temporary. As this human life is very rare it should be utilized only for serving Lord. If we approach Krishna with faith then he will do what is best for us. Krishna instructed Arjuna to fight with faith. Arjuna did exactly the same for Krishna’s pleasure and emerged victorious.

Similarly we should follow the instruction of Krishna with faith and always pray to him to engage us in his devotional service. 

 

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Conquering the Pain

Purushottam Nitai Das March 28, 2011
A survey conducted by Sunday Times of India (March 6, 2011) threw up a surprise. Contrary to the perception that young people in India are becoming disinclined towards spirituality the survey shows that younger people are more & more becoming interested in spirituality.

A person may own a palatial bungalow, may own a fleet of cars, may possess all the latest technological masterpieces, is a renowned scholar and his coffers are brimming with the gold, silver and liquid cash but still the person may feel hollow from within.

Suppose that we take a fish out of the water & put it in an aquarium made of gold but no water in it. Will the fish be satisfied & happy just being in gold plated aquarium? The answer is ‘NO’. A fish can be happy only in water.

Similarly no matter how much comfort we provide to our body unless & until we nourish our real self we will not get the satisfaction. We need to understand that we are not this body but we are souls presently in a human body. As a soul we are sac-cid-ananda i.e. eternal, blissful & full of knowledge. The nature of the soul is to be in constant association of the Lord. So, when we endeavor to connect to the Lord we feel a sense of inner satisfaction & bliss from within. In an article published in the Reader’s Digest (‘Searching for the Divine’, Jan 2002) Prof Andrew a neurologist explains that at peak moments of prayer & meditation a person goes to a state of complete relaxation and deep satisfaction and experiences a higher reality.

The following story of a Polish girl illustrates how spirituality can help a person to tolerate a great pain.

The girl was 16 when she discovered that she has cancer & the cancer had already spread all over her body. The girl was undergoing through tremendous physical pain but fortunately she had discovered a medicine which would help her to bear the unbearable pain. She would find solace & comfort in singing the Hare Krishna kirtan (song). Slowly her condition deteriorated further & it became impossible for her to even speak. Then she requested her brother to sing the kirtan for her. Her brother who was studying in a college used to phone her and sing the kirtan for her everyday from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. It continued for 2 months. And one fateful night the girl left this world while her brother was singing the kirtan for her. Her brother was not aware of this fact. He came to know about her sister’s death only when his mother picked up the phone and informed him that his sister is no more. Her death was peaceful. (Reference: travelingmonk.com, I-never-Cry, Volume 11, Chapter 10, Oct 11, 2010).

The girl was able to withstand the tremendous physical pain because she was able to connect herself with the Supreme Lord which enabled her to experience a higher taste and a higher level of satisfaction which was beyond the body, mind & senses

Spirituality not only purifies our consciousness but also helps us to understand our real self. So, we should re-spiritualize our lives & develop a harmonious relationship with the Lord. Just like Arjuna we too should take the shelter of the Lord & perform our prescribed duties in a righteous manner.

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Surrendering to 11 Mortals

Purushottam Nitai Das March 27, 2011
Either 1.1 billion or 170.6 million people will suffer on 30th March 2011.

Yes on 30th March 2011, when the much hyped cricket match will be played then it would make either millions or billions of people brokenhearted.

We love to claim that we are a cricket crazy nation and very shamelessly chant ‘Cricket is our Religion’. Millions of Indians have very submissively surrendered themselves to the 11 mortal cricket players & their happiness or sorrow is totally dependent on them.

Why we fail to understand that cricket is a mere sport and it should be watched in a sporting spirit. If 2 teams are playing then one will win & the other will lose and also victory or defeat is not just dependent on the skills & expertise of the players but it is dependent on many external factors like weather conditions, light condition, amount of moisture in the pitch, psychological condition of the players etc. Even though the players will try their best but still they cannot guarantee that they will definitely win for the nation and we cannot blame them.

What if India loses & what if India wins. If India wins then what difference is it going to make to our lives? Around 2 lakhs farmers in our country have been forced to commit suicide in the last 13 years, what difference the win is going to bring to the lives of the bereaved farmers’ family.

There are instances where people even get heart attacks or even commit suicide upon knowing the outcome of the match. This is nothing but a sheer madness. It is really surprising that we are ready to waste this valuable human life for such a flimsy thing. Sastras explains that this human form of life which we have got is very precious and we should utilize it to revive our love for Lord Krishna.

Human body is just like a boat using which we can cross this material ocean. Out of the 8.4 million species this is the most opportune moment for us to revive our love for God. If we waste this opportunity then we might again have to wait for millions of years to again get this human body. We should realize the importance of this human life and make an endeavor to get rid of this vicious cycle of birth and death and go home Back to Godhead.

Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad – Gita:

Anta-kale ca mam eva smaran muktva kalevaram

Yah prayati sa mad-bhavam yati nasty atra samsayah (BG 8.5)
(And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body remembering Me alone at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt)

So, if we remember Krishna always then we will go back to his abode from where we will never have to come back to this material world.

Krishna asks us to remember him always & we are foolishly remembering cricket. We can remember Krishna always if we regularly chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra :

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

So, instead of surrendering to these 11 cricket players we should surrender to Krishna, instead of remembering them we should always remember Krishna and instead of chanting cricket we should chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. By doing this our life will be successful.

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