600 selected, beautiful photos of His Divine Grace Srila A.C….
→ Dandavats



600 selected, beautiful photos of His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada all in one album.
Srila Prabhupada: Because human society is poverty-stricken and men are devoid of Vedic knowledge and the power to chant the Vedic mantras, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is the only shelter. People should be intelligent enough to chant it. Those whose brains are dull cannot understand this chanting, nor can they take to it. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 9.1.17 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/7DdKWj

Ganges – A Documentary
→ ISKCON News

The epic journey to find the source of the Ganges. Reaching the temple of Gangotri - the place where Hindus believe that Ganges first appeared on Earth. Further on we will also trail Kedarnath, Valley of Flowers, Yamunotri and Badrinath.

New devotional CD by Stoka Krishna das from Italy “Calling of the Soul”
→ Dandavats



New devotional CD by Stoka Krishna das from Italy “Calling of the soul”
Dear devotees, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I am very happy to present this CD for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and all the Vaisnavas.
“Really beautiful, innovative in the Vaisnava soundscape and done very well, very devotional and professional. They are all new melodies, sweet, virtuous and relaxing, with soothing voices perfectly tuned and synchronized, the instruments are played expertly and the introductions are extremely attractive”
(Review from the Italian magazine “Movimento Iskcon” by Sri Lalita devi dasi)
The CD “Calling of the soul” is available here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stokakrishnadas and on www.amazon.it, also obtainable for download on Itunes and Spotify.
Your humble servant,
Stoka Krishna das (GRS)

Iskcon Lithuania: Vaishnava Winter Festival 2016 (Album with…
→ Dandavats



Iskcon Lithuania: Vaishnava Winter Festival 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Narada Muni, citing a practical example from his own life, established that by associating with devotees and chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, any man in any condition of life can achieve the highest perfection without a doubt. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.15.74 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/0QFLH3

Harinama in Queen Street, Auckland, New Zealand (Album with…
→ Dandavats



Harinama in Queen Street, Auckland, New Zealand (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If we simply place ourselves at the lotus feet of Krishna by taking to Krishna consciousness and keeping always in touch with Him by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, we need not take much trouble in arranging to return to the spiritual world. By the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, this is very easy. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.15.53 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Wen8xj

NBS#29: The appearance of Lord Kapila. This issue covers the…
→ Dandavats



NBS#29: The appearance of Lord Kapila.
This issue covers the appearance of the divine son of Kardama Muni and Devahuti, Lord Kapila, who is an incarnation of Lord Himself. Also included for this issue, is translations of various acharyas on the famous verse from Bhagavad Gita.
“Janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so ’rjuna”
We pray this issue brings some pleasure to the devotees of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
NBS # 29 Features:-
1) Kardama Pacifies Devahuti
Sri Maitreya Rishi
2) The Appearance of Lord Kapila
Sri Vishvanatha Chakravati Thakura
3) Why Did Kardama Muni Leave Home?
His Divine Grace A .C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
4) Birth and Activities of The Supreme Lord
Sri Sridhar Swami, Sri Madhusudana Saraswati,
Sri Vishvanatha Chakravati Thakura, and Sri Baladeva Vidyabhushana
5) How Should One Approach The Supreme Lord?
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur,
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/EpTTO3

Inspirational Videos by Ghanashyam Priya ( 3 brief videos) “The…
→ Dandavats



Inspirational Videos by Ghanashyam Priya ( 3 brief videos)
“The Bhagavad-gita says that when we focus on a deeper motive, or a higher purpose, or deeper meaning in life, then we can affect and impact the outer space,” he proclaims. The vibrantly colorful images and dramatic music create a euphoric tension that make you want to jump up, pump your fist, and shout, “I can do it!”
Watch them here: https://goo.gl/acimhz

January 20. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily…
→ Dandavats



January 20. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Do It For Him. It is reassuring to take stock of the fact that we follow Prabhupada in almost everything we do. Often we feel bereft of love for Prabhupada, and we think that we are distant from him. However, if you take inventory, you will see that you are always doing what he wanted you to do. I do not wear sannyasi clothes because it is my destiny to be a Vaisnava monk; I do it because he introduced it. When I think like this, it gives me assurance that I am completely immersed in Prabhupada consciousness. Even me, a laggard who does not fulfill front-line duties, who fails in many ways to cooperate with devotees – even I am following Prabhupada in general, and in the particulars, with devotion. Chant your rounds, read his books, do your preaching service, whatever it may be; do things the way he wanted them done. With the instinct of a well-trained person, you act the way Prabhupada taught you. To give a crude example, consider the way a jet pilot moves in the cockpit. He does not expressly think, “Now I am going to pull this switch and that lever to make the plane take off and veer to the left.” He does not have to think so specifically about what he is doing because he has experience. We also have experience and should be guided by Prabhupada’s vani. Whatever comes up in our lives, we simply act according to Prabhupada’s instructions. If someone asks us, we may verbalize the source of the instruction. Usually, we do not have to verbalize it – you see something and you do it the way Prabhupada did it, because you see the wisdom of his ways.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=4

Did Draupadi love Karna?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

There is no statement to that effect in the Mahabharata. To gain a sense of Draupadi’s feelings towards Karna, let’s look at the relevant incidents.

  1. Svayamvara: The first interaction between Draupadi and Karna is during her svayamvara. When Karna tried to compete, she certainly didn’t favor him in any way. Irrespective of whether Karna was refused permission to participate in the svayamvara by her or by Dhrishtadyumna, or whether he competed and missed the target by the thinnest margin among all the kshatriyas (as stated in the Mahabharata-tatparya-nirnaya by Srila Madhvacharya), the key point is that Draupadi didn’t exhibit any sign of love for Karna, whether at first sight or later.
  2. Marriage amidst poverty: When Arjuna in the garb of a brahmana won Draupadi’s hand in that svayamvara, she willingly, even happily, accepted a life of poverty while serving him. She may have accepted such a life either out of deference to her father’s will and the svayamvara tradition or out of attraction to Arjuna, who had so spectacularly won her hand during the svayamvara and the fight thereafter with Karna and the other peeved kings. If she accepted that life because of deference, then it’s extremely unlikely that such a submissive woman would entertain love for anyone like Karna who was an avowed rival of her husband. If she accepted that life because of her attraction to Arjuna, then it’s even more unlikely that she would feel love for her beloved’s enemy.
  3. Marriage amidst prosperity: Draupadi’s poor-seeming husbands turned out to be princes, who went on to become emperors. During this period of rising fortunes, there’s no reason for her heart to have turned to someone other than her husbands. The Mahabharata reports neither any friction between her and her husbands, nor any noteworthy interaction between her and Karna.
  4. Dishonor in the gambling match: Some people hold that, after the failure of her husbands to protect her during the gambling match, she felt that Karna would have protected her better. But such an analysis overlooks the reality that Karna was the very person who had instigated her dishonor by suggesting that she be dragged into the assembly and be disrobed in public. And it was Karna who called her a prostitute for having married five men. Even if she had had any affection for Karna as a hero, that attraction would have been destroyed by his villainous behavior. And the short duration of the incident as well as her strong-willed nature wouldn’t have allowed the occurrence of anything remotely resembling the Stockholm syndrome.
  5. Need for a protector: Even if Draupadi had felt that she would have been better off with some protector other than her Pandava husbands, that feeling didn’t make her turn to Karna. Even though he was present right there in the assembly, she didn’t ask him for protection; instead, she prayed to Krishna, even though he was not present visibly. During their forest exile, when Jayadratha kidnapped her in the Pandavas’ absence, she castigated him not just for the irreligiosity of his action, but also for its sheer folly in provoking such formidable warriors as her five husbands. When the Pandavas came charging after Jayadratha, she proudly pointed them out to him, describing the heroic attributes of each of them. Her words don’t give even the slightest indication that she felt that their protection was inadequate. To the contrary, her words convey that she had full confidence in her husbands’ ability to rescue her and to punish her abductor. During their yearlong incognito exile in Virata, when she refused Kichaka’s advances, he abused her in Yudhishthira’s presence. Yudhishthira refused to intervene, not wanting to blow up their cover by retaliatory action – few warriors could overpower the formidable Kichaka and if any unknown person had overpowered him, suspicions would have immediately flared up that Kichaka’s conqueror might be a disguised Pandava. And that’s what happened – Bhima’s killing Kichaka made the Kauravas suspect that Bhima might be responsible, thereby prompting their attack on Virata. Anyway, the relevant point for us is that even if Draupadi had felt disappointed and angered by Yudhishthira’s failure to protect her, that didn’t make her turn to any protector other than her husbands – she turned to Bhima, who more than adequately punished her abuser. Moreover, the martial track record showed that Karna was inferior to Arjuna, as was evident from the fight of the Kauravas and the Pandavas with the Panchalas on the occasion of giving guru-dakshina to Drona. At that time, the Panchalas had defeated the Kauravas, who had Karna on their side; and then Arjuna had defeated the Panchalas. For a detailed comparative analysis, see my answer on “Who was the better archer: Karna or Arjuna?”
  1. Consistent faithfulness: Most importantly, nowhere in the Mahabharata did Draupadi waver in her faithfulness to her husbands. In the public assembly when she was being dishonored, Duryodhana tried to pit her against her husband by saying that he would release all of them (the Pandavas and Draupadi) if she stated that Dharma-raja Yudhishthira committed adharma by gambling her after he had gambled himself. Even at such a time, when Yudhishthira was clearly at fault, Draupadi refused to cast blame on him. Later in the forest she complained about what she felt was his unassertiveness; still she remained faithful to him, even accepting the position of a lowly maidservant during their incognito exile.

The Mahabharata doesn’t report any reaction of Draupadi at the death of Karna or even when his identity as the oldest of Kunti’s sons is revealed. This silence is telling because the epic doesn’t try to idealize its heroes – it unhesitatingly describes their morally ambiguous actions. And despite this striking candor, it doesn’t give even a whiff of any secret love of Draupadi for Karna.

Therefore, those who claim that Draupadi loved Karna are talking about a Draupadi of their imagination, not the Draupadi of the Mahabharata.

The post Did Draupadi love Karna? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Gita 08.26 – Disinvest emotion from matter before it crashes
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast


Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Gita 08.26 – Disinvest emotion from matter before it crashes appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

How can we raise our remembrance of Krishna from intellectual recollection to devotional redirection?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Answer Podcast:


Download by “right-click and save”

The post How can we raise our remembrance of Krishna from intellectual recollection to devotional redirection? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Narada Muni – Not kalah-priya, but krishna-priya
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Sunday feast at Radha Gopinatha temple on 17-1-16

Podcast:


Download by “right-click and save”

The post Narada Muni – Not kalah-priya, but krishna-priya appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Christchurch
→ Ramai Swami

imageimage

By the end of this year, the Christchurch temple will be rebuilt on the same land as before the earthquake.

In the meantime, the devotee community has been renting a hall to hold Sunday programs and festivals. Even though not the temple, the atmosphere is spiritually surcharged by the enthusiasm of the devotees.

imageimage

Friday, January 15th, 2016
→ The Walking Monk

Friday, January 15th, 2016
Houston, Texas

Survival Mindset

It was a breeze walking along the edge of 34th Street. At the early hour of 2:20 AM there is no car in site. I had begun walking with my daily prescribed japameditation, and as I hit the pavement, there was tranquility. Save and except for two cats who were either mating, fighting, or both, all was tranquil. Out from the alleyway, emerged a white cat that dashed past me like a bullet and vanished into the dark obscurities of the night, while a black cat followed slowly along in the same direction.

There were stray dogs as well, meeting and then dispersing, perhaps only to repeat the same routine again. I did not stay hot on their trail in order to find out details of their goings on.

In the plenary meeting held later in the afternoon, our presenter, Officer Daniel of the Houston Law Enforcement, spoke about active shooters. This was a presentation of a different kind. Being that we live in a terroristic and gun happy world, more and more awareness and education is being delivered on how to prepare for a trigger happy megalomaniac. It was shocking to hear from Officer Daniel that you’re safer to hang out at a bar at night than to be in a school as a student or a worshipper at church.

We viewed a dramatization of a gunman entering a corporate building during business hours, how he succeeded at killing some office workers while others smartly escaped. The mantra in the mind for responding to an active shooter is, “Run, Hide, Fight”. This is called the survival mindset.

I do believe that our group listening became more educated in this department of defense. I couldn’t help thinking how we have all become a part of a cat and dog civilization.

May the Source be with you!

8 km

Thursday, January 14th, 2016
→ The Walking Monk

Thursday, January 14th, 2016
Houston, Texas

A Walker Is Born

I received a call from Arjuna Abhimanyu, an American follower of Krishna from Clermont, Florida. He quite excitedly expressed his desire to do a walk from Orland to Gainesville. His purpose? He wants to raise awareness and funds for a new Krishna temple in the Orlando area. This is undoubtedly a worthy cause. What he didn’t say, at least in the beginning, is that he’s up for an adventure. For sure, he’ll have fun with this walk which will transcend fatigue, blisters, aches and pains.

It will take five or six days to accomplish this at 20 miles per day.

“Are you up for the 20 per day without any training or preparedness?” I asked him. He said he was going to try it. He also asked about the best kind of shoes to wear, and what time of the day is the best time to start the daily trek.

I told him my preferred footwear these days are ‘Keen’, a sandal with a good fit and traction, and ‘Oofos’, a lighter, snug version of Crocs. The best time to start a run or a walk is before sunrise, if possible. It seems the body gets the chance to acclimatize within the first leg of the day’s walk. Also, we should consider that early morning is the prime time for concentration.

Arjun plans to stay with people he knows along the way. He is inviting co-walkers.

Good luck! God bless! Om tat sat to you, Arjuna A., the hero.

May the Source be with you!

0 km

 

Wednesday, January 13th, 2016
→ The Walking Monk

Wednesday, January 13th, 2016
Houston, Texas

Love/Fear

The verse which I spoke on today for the morning class, from Canto 9 of Srimad Bhagavatam, goes like this:

“The attraction between man and woman, or male and female, always exists everywhere, making everyone always fearful. Such feelings are present even among the controllers like Brahma and Shiva, and is a cause of fear for them, what to speak of others who are attached to household life in this material world.”

I was just intrigued how scripture delivers many elements to do with human psychology. In this particular context when we contemplate the pastimes of the great Ram and consort, Sita, their deep, profound love for each other carried an aspect of fear. It appears that the fear factor is present in divine love affairs just as much as we find it on the mundane platform. Such is the case for the love pangs felt by Brahma, the god of creation, and Shiva, the god of destruction.

Fear arises from many directions. There’s the fear that certain personnel will not approve of the loving relationship. There’s also the fear that whatever bondage is established in a loving rapture, may at one point be broken. And also there’s some anxiety that lingers between two persons involved in the relationship, that in the future they may hurt one another.

In the case of mundane love, there’s always some anguish. On the highest plane, such as the divine love between Ram and Sita, tension was encountered when they were separated. A simple conclusion here is that where there is love, there is also fear.

May the Source be with you!

2 km

Tuesday, January 12th, 2016
→ The Walking Monk

Tuesday, January 12th, 2016
Houston, Texas

Mediocre

It’s always a mediocre day if I don’t get the chance to interact with pedestrians. What are the chances of this happening in a city that’s very car dependant? Fortunately, I did meet some walkers, brief encounters they were.

By greeting someone on the move or on foot, I believe it to be a human thing to do.

What else makes a being human?

To address this, I like what our guru, Srila Prabhupada, had to say in this regard:

“Out of so many human beings who are suffering, there are few who are actually inquiring about their position, as to what they are, why they are put into this awkward position, and so on. Unless one is awakened to his position of questioning his suffering, unless he realizes that he doesn’t want suffering, but rather wants to make a solution to all suffering, then one is not to be considered a perfect human being. Humanity begins where this sort of inquiring is awakened in one’s mind.”

From the above statements it can be appreciated that there are different views on humans. There are likely multiple ways to define any one object. But from the spiritual perspective, we can contemplate what a human being ought to be.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

 

Monday, January 11th, 2016
→ The Walking Monk

Monday, January 11th, 2016
Houston, Texas

That Which Is Not

I had arrived in this southern Texas cityto attend sangha with god-brothers and sisters. We will discuss dreams and issues (hopefully, that will require no tissues). For the afternoon, it’s downtime. The venue for our pow-wow, so to speak, will be located in a community centre, and across from a courtyard is a majestic temple, newly constructed, but fabulously retaining the features and integrity of a south Indian masterpiece of devotion. It’s not my first time here, but at this point, I’m seeing it all structurally complete. A banner affixed to the gate that borders this spiritual fortress reads, “Coming Soon – Govinda’s – A Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant”. So that is the only thing remaining to be completed by the temple’s side.

In my downtime I certainly engage my legs by walking the neighborhood. At sit down time I read an inspiring piece from the Gita’s intro, and here it is:

“Our very existence is in the atmosphere of non-existence. Actually, we are not meant to be threatened by non-existence. Our existence is eternal, but somehow or other, we are put into asat. Asat refers to that which does not exist. “

That is inspiring because it is put into a penetrating and succinct format. Thank you, author and guru, Srila Prabhupada.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

 

Our Personal Relationship with Krishna’s Holy Name, Part 2, January 17, Dallas
Giriraj Swami

6.6Giriraj Swami continued reading and speaking from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.11.

“Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that by attentive chanting one can become free from all the other offenses—and that by inattentive chanting we allow all the other offenses to flourish. So it is critical that we chant with attention. When we are calling Krishna’s name and Krishna asks, ‘What do you want?’ we can pray,  ‘I want to hear Your holy names.’ We don’t have to ask for something very distant. We can ask for the thing that is most important at that moment—that we can hear the holy names. So that can be our prayer while we are chanting—’Please allow me to hear You. Please allow me to fix my mind upon You.’ And when we actually do that, everything changes. Then we get the real effect of becoming free from false ego and becoming situated in our actual positions as eternal servants of Radha and Krishna and Their dear devotees.”

Kirtan in Dallas
Talk on SB 2.1.11 in Dallas

Do you love Krsna?
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, November 2015, Vrindavan, India, Video interview)

Radha_Syamasundar_Hungary

I pray to one day love Krsna! The words ‘love Krsna’ cannot be used so cheaply. It takes great effort in devotional service, it takes effort to sacrifice and to go step-by-step from the initial stages of having some faith to learning to associate with devotees. Over how many years have I made so many mistakes in associating with the devotees? How then could I properly chant Hare Krsna and properly engage in devotional service?

What to speak of anartha nivriti, of the heart becoming purified… What to speak of getting some determination in devotional service… What to speak of getting some taste… What to speak of getting some attachment to Krsna… What to speak of getting ecstasy… What to speak of love… What can I speak on love for Krsna!!

Who’s To Blame?
→ Dandavats

Hare KrishnaBy Mahatma das

As it is said, “Pray as if everything depends on God and act as if everything depends on you.” This is what Prabhupada did and Krsna definitely answered Prabhupada’s prayers. Personal responsibility towards preaching is empowering. Prabhupada’s god-brothers went to preach in England in the 1920’s and came back saying that the westerners are too fallen to take up Krsna consciousness. Fortunately, Prabhupada didn’t think this way. He took personal responsibility to spread Lord Caitanya’s mission. Remember, ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses. If the world is not Krsna conscious, we need to look at ourselves. Whenever devotees made excuses and told Prabhupada that people were not receptive or that they were difficult to preach to, Prabhupada always said that the problem was not with the people they were preaching to; the problem was with us. Continue reading "Who’s To Blame?
→ Dandavats"

City of nine gates
→ Dandavats

Hare KrishnaBy Kesava Krsna dasa

The waking process may take some time. If it is very rare to attain bhava where our true eternally awakened self is developed, shedding the gross and subtle dream body, then only a greedy, hungry effort, anxious to adopt all positive awakening procedures may expedite matters. Lord Krsna states: “After many births and deaths, he who actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knows Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” BG. 7.19. While we are awakening, any acquirement of mercy can be passed on to other sleeping souls, to sound gentle informed alarm bell talks. When awakened souls gather to converse about the awoken reality personified [Krsna] and His nearest and dearest, such enlivening chatter will keep us awake and entice us towards Krsna Prema. “O Narada, I am not in Vaikuntha nor am I in the hearts of the yogis. I remain where My devotees glorify My name, form, qualities and transcendental pastimes.” Padma Purana. In the meantime while we are here staying awake, perhaps we can also, like Maha-Visnu, observe the incredible workings of this dream world, if even as a reminder to keep alert, or to be interestingly occupied. Continue reading "City of nine gates
→ Dandavats"

KK Bindu #367, “The Final Words of Bhakta Kavi Gopal…
→ Dandavats



KK Bindu #367, “The Final Words of Bhakta Kavi Gopal Krishna”, plus more …
The latest issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine was just released. This issue includes:
* IRRESPONSIBILITY IN BHAKTI – In this excerpt from a letter to a disciple,
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada strongly speaks about the principle of guru.
* THE FINAL WORDS OF BHAKTA KAVI GOPAL KRISHNA – The story of the last day and final prayers of this great Odishan Gaudiya Vaishnava poet.
* NAMA-TATTVA: NAMA IS ALL POWERFUL – a verse from Skanda Purana.
* “MATAJI” – From the life of Srila Lochan Das Thakur
It can be downloaded here: https://archive.org/details/bindu367

A sincere sweeper in the street is far better than the charlatan…
→ Dandavats



A sincere sweeper in the street is far better than the charlatan meditator.
[Perform your prescribed duty, for action is better than inaction. A man cannot even maintain his physical body without work.]
Anyone who is in the material world is certainly possessed of the impure propensity for lording over the material nature and for sense gratification. Such polluted propensities have to be cleared.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/klwOH7

What makes us act selfishly? Answer by Radhanath…
→ Dandavats



What makes us act selfishly?
Answer by Radhanath Swami.
Question: The caring attitude is pleasing to everyone, but generally the default attitude in this world is one always thinks selfishly. So is it an inbuilt script of the mind that makes one think selfishly?
Radhanath Swami: The false ego misconceives: “I am this body, I am this mind, I am the controller, I am the proprietor, and I am the selfish enjoyer.” This is foundational to all material complications. It impels us to put ourselves above others and act selfishly. And when we continue to act in that way it becomes a habit. According to how we habituate ourselves, by making those wrong choices, we become more and more engrained in that way of thinking.
That is the way any habit works. For example, if you smoke a lot of cigarettes you become addicted, and the more you smoke the more you become addicted. The habit becomes a craving, and then it is very difficult to do anything without feeding your habit. When you are in the middle of it, you cannot really understand the effect of what you are doing because you are so much a slave of the habit. So that is exactly the way the ego works. Our selfishness, our arrogance, our greed, our selfish passions, our anger, and our envy – as we make choices to feed these habits, they become stronger and stronger and stronger.
But when we associate with saintly people we began to understand what we really want in life and what our condition is. And then we will take the medicine and the way of life by which we can become liberated from these habits of egotism. Chanting of the Holy Names is the simple medicine that will cure one from all the symptoms of ego, ignorance and selfishness.