Author Archives: Chaitanya Charan das

Prabhupada life-story 02 – From political activist to spiritual activist
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Audio Podcast :

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/Srila%20Prabhupada%20life-story/Prabhupada%20life-story%2002%20-%20From%20political%20activist%20to%20spiritual%20activist.mp3

 

Video :

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How do we understand Prabhupada’s statement that most of my disciples will go to heaven – Hindi?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/08-17%20QA/How%20do%20we%20understand%20Prabhupada’s%20statement%20that%20most%20of%20my%20disciples%20will%20go%20to%20heaven%20-%20Hindi.mp3

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Gajendra Moksha Katha 5 – Which comes first – giving up lower taste or getting higher taste – Hindi
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[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON Belgaum, India]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Gajendra%20Moksha%20Katha%205%20-%20Which%20comes%20first%20-%20giving%20up%20lower%20taste%20or%20getting%20higher%20taste%20-%20Hindi.mp3

 
 
Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20Gajendra%20Moksha%20Katha%205%20-%20Which%20comes%20first%20-%20giving%20up%20lower%20taste%20or%20getting%20higher%20taste%20-%20Hindi.mp3

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Gajendra Moksha Katha 4 – How age helps us become renounced – and how it doesn’t – Hindi
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[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON Belgaum, India]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Gajendra%20Moksha%20Katha%204%20-%20How%20age%20helps%20us%20become%20renounced%20-%20and%20%20how%20it%20doesn’t%20-%20Hindi.mp3

 
 
Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20Gajendra%20Moksha%20Katha%204%20-%20How%20age%20helps%20us%20become%20renounced%20-%20and%20%20how%20it%20doesn’t%20-%20Hindi.mp3

The post Gajendra Moksha Katha 4 – How age helps us become renounced – and how it doesn’t – Hindi appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Gajendra Moksha Katha 3 – Understanding when to wield control and when to yield control – Hindi
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[Sunday feast class at ISKCON Belgaum, India]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Gajendra%20Moksha%20Katha%203%20-%20Understanding%20when%20to%20wield%20control%20and%20when%20to%20yield%20control%20-%20Hindi.mp3

 
 
Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20Gajendra%20Moksha%20Katha%203%20-%20Understanding%20when%20to%20wield%20control%20and%20when%20to%20yield%20control%20-%20Hindi.mp3

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Gajendra Moksha Katha 2 – Deviated spiritualists may lose the human body, but not their spiritual attraction – Hindi
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[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON Belgaum, India]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Gajendra%20Moksha%20Katha%202%20-%20Deviated%20spiritualists%20may%20lose%20the%20human%20body,%20but%20not%20their%20spiritual%20attraction%20-%20Hindi.mp3

 
 
Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20Gajendra%20Moksha%20Katha%202%20-%20Deviated%20spiritualists%20may%20lose%20the%20human%20body,%20but%20not%20their%20spiritual%20attraction%20-%20Hindi.mp3

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Activism is our rent for living on the earth
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“Activism is my rent for living on the planet.”

–  Alice Walker

Video:

Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/WOW/2017%20WOW/07-17%20WOW/Activism%20is%20our%20rent%20for%20living%20on%20the%20earth.mp3
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The idea of activism – of being a part of some cause that helps makes things better in the world – is increasingly catching on. It has become much cooler than what it was a few decades ago, when greed ruled the roost.

What has led to activism’s increased appeal? Thoughtful people have started realizing that when we live only for ourselves, for our own gratification, we sink into a black hole of self-centeredness wherein our obsession with our own cravings becomes compulsive and destructive. Today, we are ecologically threatened because of the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources. We are intellectually adrift because mainstream materialistic culture doesn’t offer our life any meaningful purpose. We are emotionally alienated because our families, communities and countries are becoming increasingly fragmented. This ecological, intellectual and emotional context underlies activism’s appeal.

However, is the notion of paying rent for living on the planet anything more than a quaint image? From the materialistic perspective mainstream in today’s world, the material is the only thing we need, the only thing we can have, the only thing that is real. And the planet we live on is just a blob of stardust in a vast unfeeling cosmos. By some lucky accident, it has somehow provided the conditions for us humans to live. Given that the planet’s human-friendliness is accidental, no one owns it. So, materialism reduces the notion of paying rent for living on the earth to just a cute metaphor.

Some utilitarian materialists may reason that if the notion inspires people to do good, there’s no harm in using it. Maybe. But the notion would have far greater impact if it were appreciated as being not just metaphorical but also metaphysical. What if we could have an alternative vision of reality, a vision that made greater sense of things and brought deeper meaning into our life?

The Bhagavad-gita offers us such a vision wherein it (05.29) states that the entire world, nay all of existence, belongs to the Whole, whose parts we all are. We use the resources of the earth for our sustenance and enjoyment, though we didn’t create any of these resources. Just like some apartments come with the basic facilities for cooking, ventilation and sanitation, so too does our cosmic apartment come with the basic needs for living. And just as we need to pay rent for the apartments we live in, so too do we need to pay rent for staying on the earth – the rent of activism.

People often conceive of activism as anything done for making a difference. Gita wisdom gives such activism a deeper foundation and a more fruitful direction. It explains that we are at our core spiritual beings, parts of a Whole. We are meant to live in harmony with the whole. How? By using whatever talents and interests we have in a mood of devotional contribution.

This holistic vision can spiritualize our specific form of activism. If […]

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When birth in a wealthy family can deviate one spiritually, how is it spiritually favorable – Hindi?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/08-17%20QA/When%20birth%20in%20a%20wealthy%20family%20can%20deviate%20one%20spiritually,%20how%20is%20it%20spiritually%20favorable%20-%20Hindi.mp3

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If we like to dress the Deities but also want others to appreciate our dressing, is that self-centeredness?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/08-17%20QA/If%20we%20like%20to%20dress%20the%20Deities%20but%20also%20want%20others%20to%20appreciate%20our%20dressing,%20is%20that%20self-centered.mp3

The post If we like to…

When bhakti culture is still there in Vraja, was all this destroyed 500 years ago when Lord Chaitanya restored it?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/08-17%20QA/When%20bhakti%20culture%20is%20still%20there%20in%20Vraja,%20was%20all%20this%20destroyed%20500%20years%20ago%20when%20Lord%20Chaitanya%20restored%20it.mp3

The pos…

When we don’t hear so much about Lord Balarama, how can we become more attracted to him?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/08-17%20QA/When%20we%20don’t%20hear%20so%20much%20about%20Lord%20Balarama,%20how%20can%20we%20become%20more%20attracted%20to%20him.mp3

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LEAD acronym – 4 Leadership Sutras from Bhagavad-gita
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[Talk to managers at GIT auditorium, Belgaum, India]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/LEAD%20acronym%20-%204%20Leadership%20Sutras%20from%20Bhagavad-gita.mp3

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20LEAD%20acronym%20-%204%20Leadership%20Sutras%20from%20Bhagavad-gita.mp3

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Why does nature hide spiritual truths – why don’t all of us have past-life memories or near-death experiences?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/08-17%20QA/Why%20does%20nature%20hide%20spiritual%20truths%20-%20why%20don’t%20all%20of%20us%20have%20past-life%20memories%20or%20near-death%20experiences.mp3

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My friends tell me that engineering studies are a waste of time – should I pursue some other career?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/08-17%20QA/My%20friends%20tell%20me%20that%20engineering%20studies%20are%20a%20waste%20of%20time%20-%20should%20I%20pursue%20some%20other%20career.mp3

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DEEP acronym – What our phone can teach us about our mind
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[Talk at KLE JNMC college, Belgaum, India]
Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/DEEP%20acronym%20-%20What%20our%20phone%20can%20teach%20us%20about%20our%20mind.mp3

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OASIS – Five reflections for self-improvement
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[Talk at BIMS Medical College, Belgaum, India]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/OASIS%20-%20Five%20reflections%20for%20self-improvement.mp3

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20OASIS%20-%20Five%20reflections%20for%20self-improvement.mp3

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How my laptop was stolen and recovered – and what I recovered in between
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“Missing? Misplaced? Stolen!” I felt the blood rush to my head as I realized with horror that someone had sneaked into my room and taken off with my laptop.

It was 3.45 am at Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. I was at the guestroom of the ISKCON temple, waiting for the ride that would take me to the airport for my flight to Panama. Shanta Vigraha P, the devotee who had coordinated my visit there and who was to drive me to the airport, had been slightly delayed. Meanwhile, I had thought of using the restroom, which was in an adjacent room. Before going there, I had locked the door of the guestroom. But then I went back to open that door slightly, thinking that as the atmosphere outside was hot and mosquito-ridden, Shanta Vigraha P would be more comfortable inside the guestroom than outside. When I returned a few minutes later, he had still not reached, but apparently someone had come in and stolen my MacBook Air laptop.

As the reality that I had been robbed sank into me, I felt first numbed and then infuriated. I rushed out, but, as expected, no one was there. The temple passageway was deserted. I called Shanta Vigraha P and told him about the theft. He too was shocked and assured me that he would reach in a few minutes.

The outer theft and the inner tirade

I was beating myself up mentally, at my stupidity in keeping the door open. When things go wrong, anger is natural. Amidst such anger, we often seek some channel for expressing that anger by directing it to whoever we can blame for things going wrong. But when we ourselves are to blame, the anger that gets concentrated on ourselves can be stultifying and paralyzing.

In my pre-devotional days, a major problem I faced was self-hatred. I used to be angry with myself most of the time for not being the kind of person I wanted to be. Self-acceptance and the ensuing freedom from self-flagellation had been one of the unexpected benefits of practicing bhakti. Gita wisdom had helped me understand that Krishna accepted me the way I was. Despite my flaws and follies, he didn’t abandon me; he always remained in my heart, trying to guide me to become better. Undoubtedly, Krishna wanted me to improve, but he still accepted me as I was. Meditating on his acceptance of me had helped me accept myself, and that self-acceptance had freed my mental energy to work on self-improvement.

Despite this self-acceptance, traces of that old weakness of self-hatred remain and resurface intermittently. After the theft of my laptop, I found myself being targeted by my mind’s full-fledged attack: “Why did you have to be so dumb as to keep that door open?” This question was pounding inside me, as if on an auto-loop; and with each iteration of the loop, the volume of the question was rising.

Meanwhile, Shanta Vigraha P reached the temple and enquired about the laptop. In a few minutes, he […]

The post How my laptop was stolen and recovered – and what I recovered in between appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Is Chitraketu’s accepting Parvati’s curse even when he was not at fault meant to instruct us to accept whatever happens to us – Hindi?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/08-17%20QA/Is%20Chitraketu’s%20accepting%20Parvati’s%20curse%20even%20when%20he%20was%20not%20at%20fault%20meant%20to%20instruct%20us%20to%20accept%20whatever%20happens%20to%20us%20-%20Hindi.mp3

The post Is Chitraketu’s accepting Parvati’s curse even when he was not at fault meant to instruct us to accept whatever happens to us – Hindi? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

If justice needs to be seen to be done, how does this apply when karmic justice gives us results for unknown actions – Hindi?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/08-17%20QA/If%20justice%20needs%20to%20be%20seen%20to%20be%20done,%20how%20does%20this%20apply%20when%20karmic%20justice%20gives%20us%20results%20for%20unknown%20actions%20-%20Hindi.mp3

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Gajendra Moksha Katha 1 – Understanding how our mental impressions shape us – Hindi
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[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON Belgaum, India]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Gajendra%20Moksha%20Katha%201%20-%20Understanding%20how%20our%20mental%20impressions%20shape%20us%20-%20Hindi.mp3

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20Gajendra%20Moksha%20Katha%201%20-%20Understanding%20how%20our%20mental%20impressions%20shape%20us%20-%20Hindi.mp3

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4 lessons about our mind from our phone – Distortion, Discretion, Determination, Devotion
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[Talk at auditorium, GIT College, Belgaum, India]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/4%20lessons%20about%20our%20mind%20from%20our%20phone%20-%20Distortion,%20Discretion,%20Determination,%20Devotion.mp3

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Summary%20-%204%20lessons%20about%20our%20mind%20from%20our%20phone%20-%20Distortion,%20Discretion,%20Determination,%20Devotion.mp3

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People deserve our empathy, not our irritability
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Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.

– Thomas a Kempis

We all have expectations from others. And when they don’t live up to our expectations, we feel irritated.

We can decrease our irritability and increase our empathy if we contemplate the reality that we ourselves are not able to live up to our expectations. We can’t make ourselves the kind of person we want to be. Why not? Because we have our conditionings that fiercely resist change.

Gita wisdom explains that our present actions are shaped by our conditionings, which are determined by our past actions. As we all have done different actions in the past, we have different conditionings, thereby making different things seem difficult for us to change. Thankfully, our present is only shaped by our past, not determined by it. We can reshape our present by using our free will to choose wisely. Still, our capacity to choose well is severely obstructed by our conditionings. That’s why we all struggle in self-improvement.

We may object, “Yes, there are some ways in which I fail to live up to my expectations. But I am not expecting those things from them – what I expect is simple and easy.” However, what is easy and what is difficult for each one of us is determined by our particular conditionings. So, the thing that seems easy for us may be very difficult for them. To appreciate how it may be difficult for them, we need to compare it not with how easy it is for us, but with some other thing that is difficult for us.

To better understand this variety in what causes difficulty to different people, consider a cricket batting metaphor. Suppose two batsmen are playing against the same team. One batsman drives off-side balls effortlessly, but succumbs to short-pitched deliveries, being foxed by their variable pace or bounce. The other batsman hooks short-pitched deliveries effortlessly, but succumbs to off-side deliveries, being deceived by their variable movement off the turf. If the player expert at playing off-side deliveries is the captain, he may become infuriated with the other player’s inability to play what he considers juicy deliveries. To better appreciate the difficulty of that player, he needs to compare it with his own difficulty in dealing with short-pitched deliveries.

This variety in difficulty applies to all aspects of life. One person may be good at remembering things to be done, but poor at remembering the names of people. Another person may remember people’s names easily, but forget their to-do list. They may label each other as irresponsible or uncaring, if they don’t see each other empathically. Similarly, one person may be good at controlling their eating, but may be prone to speaking rashly. Another person may be sensitive in speaking, but uncontrolled in their eating. If they are to better understand each other, they need to compare the other’s weakness not with their own strength, but […]

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