Tag: love

Krishna’s love is selfless and everyone else love has selfish motive

If you observe carefully, you will find that even the person who loves you the most may have some selfish motive. Only Krishna’s love is selfless devoid of all selfish motives.

Our heart has an innate longing to love and be loved. Just as fish cannot live without water, similarly we cannot live without being loved. A lonely heart is a miserable heart. But loving relationship with fellow human beings of this world almost always gives frustration. Either the person whom we love does not reciprocate with our love or even if we experience love it has to end when we have to leave this world.

Love between parents & children is also not perfect

Parents have great attachment for their children (own children) because they feel that their children belong to them. So, they do everything for their children. But when the children grow up, they develop attachment for someone else – to their spouse or to their own children.

Generally, it is seen that children’s love for their parents is not as strong as parents love for their children. It is also seen that in spiritually uncultured society, children throw their parents to old age homes considering them to be a burden.

Does husband & wife love each other selflessly?

A man and woman get attracted to each other and develop strong bonding with each other. But the attraction and attachment are not selfless. A man is attracted to woman’s beauty and woman is attracted to man’s money-making ability. So, if a woman loses her beauty which happens for sure as time passes by, the man may start looking for beauty somewhere else. And if the man’s bank balance starts depleting, woman’s love for man too starts decreasing, she may begin looking for some wealthy paramour.

In India a husband and wife may not leave each other for someone else because family culture and values are still intact to some extent here. But in western countries, it does happen.  However as the influence of western or atheistic culture is growing, we see that divorce rate is also increasing in India especially in big cities. 

But even if husband and wife do not separate, they start losing affinity for each other if their needs or desires are not taken care by each other. And in their mind, they fret marrying a wrong person.  If God would have given us the power to read other’s mind, then almost everyone in this world would be heartbroken! But, the Lord, knew our heart, so did not gift us this ability.

Read: Whom do you love more – Krishna or your husband?

We see that some people become so frustrated because of betrayal by their partners that they keep dogs in their house as life partners. They share their joys and sorrows with their four-legged partner. But as human beings, we need other human beings to take care of our emotional needs.

Any relationship ultimately frustrate in this world

None of the relationship in this world is perfect and purely selfless. Each one looks what is in it for me. No one wants to sacrifice for others’ happiness, but everyone wants others to sacrifice for their happiness.

And suppose that we are extremely fortunate that we get a partner who loves us a lot, is ready to sacrifice everything for us but still the destructive time takes that special one away from us. And then we are terribly lonely.

Relationship in this world ultimately frustrates us, and this is the reason that in this world every soul eventually suffers. 

This is why Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that this world is temporary and miserable. It is not just that this world gets destroyed, so it is temporary, but the relationship also ends abruptly here. The world is miserable because it does not just give us physical pain but most of the time it gives us emotional pain and makes us heartbroken.

Our great longing to love and be loved can never be satisfied by the lesser mortals of this world. Those who understand this and realize this start looking for that love, which is selfless, fulfilling, everlasting and exists even after we die.

Pure selfless love is possible only with Krishna

That pure selfless love is possible only with Krishna. The fortunate souls who have thoroughly understood this reality give up all pain giving relationship of this world and work hard to develop strong relationship with Krishna, the Lord of our heart. Since Krishna is supremely pure, so our love for him does not manifest completely unless we become completely pure. But even if in our impure state we start developing love for Krishna, Krishna starts reciprocating. Those who try this will agree with me.

Scriptures say that Krishna always loves us whether we love him or not. This is the reason that as Paramatma or Supersoul, he always lives with us in our heart. Uddhava puts it beautifully, “He [Supersoul] is present in the hearts of all living beings, just as fire lies dormant in wood.

Krishna does not leave us even for a moment. He is even there in the heart of an atheists who hates him.  His love for you and me is not based on any selfish motive, it is purely selfless.

In this world we see that parents love their children because they expect that their children will take care of them when they are old. A wife loves her husband because he provides her financial security. And a husband loves his wife because she fulfills his physical needs.

But Krishna does not expect anything from us. He has no ulterior motives. In spite of our shortcomings and imperfections, he loves us without any expectation. But we the unfortunate souls look for love from someone else who love themselves and not us. And so, we suffer again and again.

Hearts longing to love & be loved is satisfied only by Krishna

When we go through the pages of Bhagavad Gita, we come to know what is there in Krishna’s heart. In this epic transcendental treatise, Krishna, who is celebrated as the Supreme Lord by all the authorized Vedic scriptures, tirelessly tries hard to tell us that do not suffer in this world but come to me, I will fill your life with love and happiness.

“After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.” Bhagavad Gita 8.15

Great spiritual personalities rejected all so-called flickering material relationship and only focused on developing loving relationship with Krishna. They attained complete perfection and their heart’s longing to love and be loved completely got satisfied. When love for Krishna completely manifests in the heart, the soul joyful floats in the ocean of transcendental bliss.

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.

Bilvamangala Thakura: Blinded by Lust liberated by Love

Bilvamangala Thakura was a wealthy south Indian Brahmin and belonged to a cultured family. But he got attracted to a prostitute named Cintamani. The attraction soon became an attachment. And as it happens when we get attached to worldly enjoyment, we lose our intelligence and subsequently our dignity.

The fire of lust was so intense that he was not at all moved when his father died; in fact, standing near the pyre of his father he was engrossed in the thought of Cintamani. The body of his dead father did not bring tears to his eyes, but his eyes were eager to see the physical beauty of the lady.

Overwhelmed with the desire to be with her he ran from the funeral pyre of his father towards her house. Cintamani lived on the other side of the river. That day was full of grief; thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy rain had created chaos and had over flooded the river.

Determined Bilvamangala Thakura hurriedly came near the bank of the river and asked the boatmen to ferry him across the river. The boatmen fearing for their life refused to take him in spite of the lure of money.

But just like a moth get attracted to the deadly fire and gets burned ultimately, similarly Bilvamangala Thakura jumped into the deadly river risking his life.

Struggling for his life in the river, he got hold of a floating object and desperately grabbed it. It was a putrefied dead body of a person. Using it as the support he successfully crossed the river.

Cintamani’s house was locked, so he decided to climb the wall and enter through the window.

He saw a rope hanging on the wall, it wasn’t a rope it was a snake!

Blinded by lust, he grabbed it and reached to the window and jumped through it falling on Cintamin’s feet.

He had succeeded in his mission to be with his beloved on that dreadful night.

Seeing an uninvited guest jumping through the window in such an hour of the night Cintamani was frightened.

Bilvamangala Thakura had hoped that seeing him she will be happy but in fact, the lady was disgusted seeing a stinking lusty man who had come to meet her on the day when his father had died.

Rebuking him she said, 
“What a shame that you have so much attraction for my physical body which is made of flesh, bones, blood, mucus, stool and other such obnoxious substances. This body rots every day and ultimately becomes food for the worms. Your attraction for this temporary body is not going to do any good to you. Instead, if you have the same attachment for Krishna then your life would be successful; it will deliver you from all the miseries of material existence and give you an opportunity to join Krishna in his eternal abode thus giving you eternal happiness.”

Being rebuked, humiliated and thrown out from her house, he came to his senses. He understood the futility of attachment for flesh which weakens one’s heart.

He took a decision to devote his life to Krishna and take shelter of his lotus feet.

Remembering and chanting the names of the Supreme Lord he marched towards Vrindavan. But as it is said that old habits die hard and sinful tendencies are not easy to give up.

Bilvamangala Thakura’s weakness was lust and so Maya attacked him again in the form of a woman.

On his way to Vrindavan, he saw a woman and got captivated by her beauty.

Shackled by lust he followed her to her house. He knocked at the door; a very sober man came out.

Seeing a guest donning a devotee’s attire pleased him, he thought his guest to be a chaste devotee of the Lord and so he wanted to serve him at any cost.

When the pious and gentle man inquired from him as to how can he serve him, Bilvamangala Thakura took a promise from him that he would fulfill his desire.

Eager to serve a devotee of the Lord he gave his word but to his utter shock, disbelief, and dismay Bilvamangala Thakura asked him to leave him alone with his wife.

Bound by his words and with tears in his eyes, he told his wife about the nefarious proposal of his guest disguised as a devotee.

Bilvamangala was left alone in the room with the lady.

With a choking voice, Bilvamangala said, “Mother, can I have your hairpin.”

He took the hairpin and to the lady’s utter shock, he immediately gouged both his eyes using the hairpin.

Falling at the feet of the lady and her husband, he begged for forgiveness.

He plucked his eyes to make sure that for the rest of his life he will never be seeing and nor getting enticed towards any form of the opposite sex.

Bilvamangala Thakura was now although physically blind but was spiritually awakened.

Life’s experience had taught him that lust can never be satiated but this disease aggravates as soon as one makes an endeavour to give in to lusty desires and thoughts.

From there he went to Vrindavan without getting distracted anymore. He had become so sincere in his devotion that life’s each moment he used in worshipping the Supreme Lord.

His genuine devotion attracted Krishna.

In fact, Krishna as a cowherd boy would come to meet him regularly carrying a glass of milk which he would give to him.

Bilvamangala Thakura did not know that the Supreme Lord was personally coming to see him. They both would speak with each other for hours.

Once when Krishna played his flute Bilvamangala Thakura was captivated by it and he wanted to embrace Krishna.

Krishna playfully escaped his embrace.

The great devotee of the Lord said you can escape from my hold but not from my heart.

Once Bilvamangala Thakura’s heart was flooded with lusty desires but with his determined devotion, he had cleansed his heart and had now enthroned Krishna in his heart.

Although his past wasn’t glorious, Krishna wasn’t bothered about his previous background.

In this world, once a person is caught doing something abominable, he is condemned and abandoned by all forever.

But Krishna is magnanimous and forgiving and is least interested in unearthing our previous sins.

As soon as he sees that our intentions are pure, and we are genuinely striving to purify our life he is eager to accept us and take us back to the spiritual world.

In Gita 16.21 and 16.22, Krishna tells that lust is a gateway to hell and those who can escape from it attains Supreme Destination.

Lust binds us to this material world but love for the Lord liberates us.

Bilvamangala Thakura was able to achieve Krishna only after his heart got thoroughly cleansed of all lusty desires.

So, to attain love of Krishna it is essential that we guard ourselves against the onslaught of lust and do not succumb to it.

(Published in Dandavats and ISKCON Desire Tree)

The first Kartik Month 2018 lamp offering

The smile and joy on the face of the devotees, who recently became part of our Krishna conscious family, while offering ghee lamp to Lord Damodara showed how Krishna has stolen their hearts.   All had come for special program on this holy month of Kartik. Last Saturday was also Karva Chauth and many ladies were fasting on this occasion. But some while fasting came to attend the program. They left in the middle as soon as the moon appeared in the night sky and after worshipping the moon they came back to chant the holy names of Krishna. While offering the lamps everyone sang the Damodarastakam  prayers, its lyrics is little difficult but when we sing it regularly we get used to it.

 

We all have love for Krishna but sadly because of heaps of material desires our hearts natural desire to love Krishna does not manifest immediately.

 

Krishna with his open hands always invites us to join him. Our heart too longs for Krishna’s love but we fail to understand this and force our heart to fall in love with the love things of this world. The worldly things cannot satisfy our hungry heart and so here in spite of having material positions and possessions we do not feel complete satisfaction.

 

Whether we love Krishna or not Krishna loves us unconditionally. When we decided to leave him in the spiritual world, he did not leave us. He came with us residing in our heart as Paramatma. In happiness and in distress he is with us. In whatever species of life we choose to be  by our actions he accompanied us.

 

Krishna is more eager to be with us than we are. He wants us to be back with him. In fact he immediately comes under the control of those who starts loving him selflessly.

 

One of the most famous pictures of Krishna is of being bound by mother Yashoda to a grinding motor.  When mother Yasoda was trying to tie Krishna every time the rope fell short by two fingers. Scriptures explain that one finger represents our endeavour and other the mercy of Krishna. When Krishna was pleased by his mother’s endeavour he showered his mercy upon her and happily agreed to be bound by his mother’s love.

 

Devotees offer lamp to this picture of Krishna. As the ghee lamp burns our material desires burns and our heart gets illuminated with Krishna’s love.

 

Krishna wants us but he also wants to see how much eager we are to be with him.

 

So the scriptures tell us to cleanse our hearts of all material allurements by chanting the holy names. The process takes time not because the medicine of the holy name is less powerful but because many times we do not follow the prescription of the spiritual doctors as it is. But if we continue to remain in the process and put in our best efforts to the best of our capability then slowly we would succeed in purging all our material desires.  Our heart will then become as soft as butter and Krishna, the eternal butter thief, will immediately come and steal our heart.

 

Krishna will become ours and we will be of Krishna –  a relationship which will give us so much joy that cannot be experienced here and cannot be explained in words.

 

Relationship – So valuable but now rarely valued