Two Scientific Dogmas
→ Servant of the Servant

Two very dogmatic assumptions of science: (1) life comes from matter, (2) there is no life after death (everything is matter)

These two dogmatic theories are the fundamental assumptions to modern day science. The two theories can be summed up in one word "materialism". Modern science reduces all matter to materialism that consciousness is but a by-product of chemical reactions in the brain and as Richard Dawkins puts it humans are "lumbering robots".

Leaders in science and general scientific community is avidly pushing this singular agenda that life is but a combination of chemicals and the ultimate goal is to push on our species. Because there is no separation between science and state, the Government is enacting universal policies based on scientific materialism. Therefore on a subtle subconscious level, our lifestyle is designed on principles of materialism. People lack any moral compass and behave in ways that has nothing to do with genuine spiritual values. This materialism has also impacted world religions and hence global terrorism/wars.

So if we can rationally and logically prove the above two scientific assumptions as dogmatic, then we can grab the attention of people to other genuine spiritual concepts. Till then, impacting the bigger population of spiritual values is not going to be easy.

Hare Krishna

10 Reasons religion or God is impotent
→ Servant of the Servant

  1. Corrupted leaders as heads of religious society
  2. Dogmatic/sentimental presentation of religion
  3. Dominance of science and technology
  4. Lack of genuine leaders to guide spiritual growth includes parents, guardians, mentors, religious leaders & political leaders
  5. Lack of practical relevance of God to 21st century lifestyle
  6. Lack of systematic educational system to educate people from young age
  7. Laziness/mental dullness/lack of spiritual aptitude of people
  8. Mentality that this world and life is only meant for one’s enjoyment
  9. People too busy with making money
  10. Sectarian presentation of religion

Hare Krishna



Stop Arguing!
→ The Enquirer

Recently I posted a quote by my Gurudeva, Śrīmad Dhanurdhara Swāmī, to a Facebook Page I maintain on his behalf. The quote is: “Argumentative logic is part of the ego of trying to establish oneself to be superior. Once you get into that mood you can never understand God. There is no way you can realize the Absolute Truth without becoming the humble servant of the Absolute Truth.”

The post generated a lot of attention and a few comments displaying a dissenting opinion and an enduring appreciation for the apparent value of argumentative logic. It was my honor that Gurudev asked me to reply to the comments, suggesting I base my reply on the 74th and 75th sūtras of Śrī Nārada Bhakti Sūtra.

Here is the reply I made:

वादो नावलम्ब्यः ॥७४॥ बाहुल्यावकाशत्वादनियतत्वाच्च ॥७५॥
vādo nāvalambyaḥ (74) bahulyāvakāśatvād aniyatatvāc ca (75)

“Do not depend upon logic and argument. They lead to endless debate, and no clear conclusion.” 

What should we do with our intellect, if not argue and debate? Sūtra 76 explains:

भक्तिशास्त्राणि मननीयानि तद्बोधककर्माणि करणीयानि ॥७६॥
bhakti-śāstrāṇi mananīyāni tad-bodhaka-karmaṇi karaṇīyāni (76)

“Respectfully apply your mind to the Bhakti Śāstras, and perform acts which empower you to comprehend them.”

We can justify our argumentativeness by saying that it is “for Krishna.” But in fact we are not supposed to be argumentative, period. We are supposed to apply our minds (manas) in a respectful, receptive spirit (mananīyāni) to the bhakti-śāstras, presided over by Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

“Preaching” does not involve argument, either. It involves respectfully and affectionately explaining the bhakti-śāstra to others. “Tad-bodhaka” (intellectual comprehension of bhakti) arises not from argumentative “preaching” but by affectionate and respectful mutual engagement in “tad-bodhaka-karmani” (the deeds and conduct which facilitates comprehension of bhakti).

Here is the statement of Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, from Mahābhārata, Vana-Parva 313.117, quoted by the great logician Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī after he was impressed deeply by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu:

तर्को ऽप्रतिष्ठः श्रुतयो विभिन्ना नासाव् ऋषिर् यस्य मतं न भिन्नम्।
धर्मस्य तत्त्वं निहितं गुहायां महाजनो येन गतः स पन्थाः॥

tarko ‘pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā
nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataḿ na bhinnam
dharmasya tattvaḿ nihitaḿ guhāyāḿ
mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ

“The many, many contradictory statements in Śruti (scripture) cannot be rectified by argument, nor is one even thought of as a scholar unless he exaggerates his own differences of opinion. The essential truth exists only with the hearts of great souls, and we should walk upon the path they have chalked out.”

Argument only leads to exaggeration of our differences, it does not lead to clear, unified conclusions. It does not grant vision of the essence of truth. The real path to truth is not traversed by debate, argument and logic – it is traversed by love.

Here is the statement of Śrī Rūpa Goswāmī . In Bhakti-Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.113 he enumerates the 12th – 14th principle practices of sādhana-bhakti:

शिष्याननुबन्दधित्वादि त्रयं यथा सप्तमे
न शिष्याननुबाध्नीत ग्रन्थान्नैवभ्यसेद्बहुन्।
न वाख्यामुपयुज्ञित नारम्भानारभेत क्वचित्॥

śiṣyān anubanddhitvādi trayam yathā saptame:
na śiṣyan anubādhnīta granthān naivabhyased bahūn.
na vākhyām upayuñjita nārambhān ārabhet kvacit.

“About the three principles beginning with not being attached to having disciples, the seventh canto says: ’Never, ever make a big effort to attract disciples, explain many books, or get involved in debates.’”

As the 76th śloka of Nārada Bhakti Sūtra pointed out, it is not that we should be dumb, silly, or voluntarily stupid. We should apply our intellects fully to the bhakti-śāstra in a receptive and respectful mood. It is the absence of the receptive and respectful mood that makes a debate a “debate” and an argument an “argument.” It is what separates “argument” from kīrtan, and “debate” from kathā.

Our valuable time should be engaged in something that will actually make us happy: Krishna-kīrtan and Krishna-kathā. That is why the next sutra in Nārada Bhakti Sūtra says:

(77) सुखदुःखेच्छालाभादित्यक्ते काले प्रतीक्षमाणे क्षणार्धमपि व्यर्थं न नेयम्।
sukha-duḥkhecchā-lābhādi-tyakte kāle pratīkṣamāṇe kṣaṇārdham api vyarthaṁ na neyam

“Thus, give up the desires regarding loss and gain, and at each and every moment, never waste half an instant in something useless.”

Nārada-bhakti-sūtra is telling us that argument and debate (and their accouterments) only lead to material gain and loss. We should give them all up and focus all our energy on spending each and every moment engaged in truly profitable pursuits – the pursuit of genuine spiritual love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Krishna.

The only subject to be considered carefully is contained within the three words of this mantra:

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे। हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे॥


Tremendous Positive Effect
→ Japa Group

"You can't minimize the importance you give your Japa (the essence of our philosophy, your link to Krsna, the most essential instruction of the spiritual master) without it having a negative effect on your spiritual life. And you can’t maximize the importance you give your Japa without it having a tremendously positive effect on your Krsna consciousness."

From Your Japa Blueprint
by Mahatma dasa

Moving toward neutrality
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 02 July 2013, Vrndavana, India, Bhagavad-gita 14.22-25)

So when we are looking at the first of these four verses (BG 14.22-25), prakāśaḿ ca pravṛttiḿ ca moham eva ca pāṇḍava, we can see, “O son of Pāṇḍu, he who does not hate illumination, attachment and delusion when they are present or long for them when they disappear; who is always unwavering, undisturbed.” So if we’re looking at these three words, illumination, attachment and delusion as translations for the words prakāśaḿ, pravṛttiḿ and moham, then we may not get it straight away just by reading through Prabhupada’s verse and purport. But if we look at the commentary of the acaryas, which I did because I was looking – illumination, attachment, delusion – why these words translated like this? Why? And the reason is because Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur, in his commentary, explains these words in a particular way and Prabhupada followed that commentary.

Prakāśaḿ translated as illumination here is representing the mode of goodness, sattva-gun. Then we see pravṛttiḿ or pravṛtta, attachment, is a quality that arises from rajo-guṇa. Delusion, moham, the quality that arises from ignorance, from tamo-guṇa. In that way, it is relating to the three modes of material nature and of course, when one is suffering under the influence of the modes of material nature or hankering to enjoy the modes of material nature, this is material consciousness.

p77So we see that throughout the verse, a neutral attitude is emphasized because it is pointed out that as long as we are embodied, we cannot be free from the influence of the body – like we feel the heat. It’s not that a maha-bhagavat doesn’t feel the heat. He feels it but he is neutral, he is not getting agitated. He is not allowing his mind get absorbed, “Ah, it’s so hot. Ah, it’s so hot. Ah, it’s so hot. Ah, garam, garam, garam, garam.”

This is a normal conversation topic in India at this time of the year. The word garam is very common, which means hot. So, one gets hot if one says hot, hot, so hot. Naturally. So it is a very practical thing. We can experience it, that if we remain neutral we are not so much affected by the heat or by the cold.

As said earlier in the Bhagavad-gita:

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino ‘nityās
tāḿs titikṣasva bhārata (Bhagavad-gita 2.14)

One has to tolerate. So being neutral or to tolerate is the same. The mind is not dwelling on the material
circumstances that are created by the three modes of material nature dhyāyato viṣayān puḿsah sańgas teṣūpajāyate (Bhagavad-gita 2.62). When we start to dwell on material objects, then attachment arises. Either positive or negative attachment so either we start to hate, “I hate, hate, hate or I love, love, love”.

In 1944, in his Back to Godhead which Srila Prabhupada published with so much difficulty, the one for which he had to convince an army officer to release paper because paper was reserved for the war. Prabhupada said, “Yes, therefore my magazine must be published because it is for the war. It is for the war because my magazine will bring peace.” And he got it and then he brought it out. Then he wrote an article and he explained that the other side of love in the material world, is frenzy. He used the word frenzy which is like a state of intense anger or intense aggression which was representing the World War that was going on 1944 – the frenzy of the war. Prabhupada pointed out that the love for one’s country or the love for the homeland creates the frenzy for the others who are not part of that.


love/hateSo love and hate come together! One can say, I love heat and I love cold or the other way around, like this, the dualities. Generally, loving one means hating the opposite and that is material existence. Neutrality is the position that we take but this is tapas. This is something which is different from the senses because the senses are sending information signals to the mind, like the dashboard. The senses are sending signals like red lights that are flashing on a dashboard.

“Too hot! Too hot! Too hot! Alarm! Alarm!” Or it can be another signal, “Very attractive! Very attractive! You cannot let this opportunity go by, it may never come again. You’ll never forgive yourself if you let it go.” So the senses are sending these kind of signals and they are received in the mind. It is there where the signals come in and it is there where we have to be neutral.

doshasWe cannot be neutral in the senses, that is not possible. The senses will not be neutral. Hungry is hungry. You can’t stop being hungry. It doesn’t work. But when we fast, just don’t think about it. Try not to think about it.

“Oh, we’re fasting! Oooooh fasting. Oh I’m so weak. Oh I’m so sick. Oh, I always get sick. Oh, whenever we’re fasting. Actually it’s not good for my constitution to fast. Oh really, it’s like kapha people can fast but vata people can’t fast at all. No, no. And pitta people also, they need to eat otherwise their own fire burns their bodies. Even dangerous. Serious. Yes. Alright,  then I’ll fast half a day then.”

So, the more one allows the mind to become pre-occupied, naturally it becomes more difficult. So, one learns to withdraw the mind, withdraw the mind from these sense objects and just as we’re doing in chanting, in chanting japa, we withdraw the mind and bring it back to the holy name, from everywhere just withdraw the mind. So therefore it automatically brings that state of neutrality, we become focused on Krsna.

 

Govardhana Retreat, Concluding Words, December 5, Govardhana Hill
Giriraj Swami

12.05.13_concl—————-
“Do all your activities, and put the word ‘servant’ before the activity: servant-cook, servant-preacher, servant-speaker, servant-listener—whatever. Then Hari-dasa, or Giriraja Govardhana, and all your memories from here will stay with you. But if you take ‘servant’ away, you are only a preacher, only a cook, only a guru, only a disciple, and it won’t work. You should always have the word ‘servant’ before, or ‘dasa’ after.” —Sacinandana Swami

Adi Purusha dasa
 Madhavananda dasa
 Giriraj Swami
 Sacinandana Swami
 Jagattarini devi dasi
 Bhurijana dasa

ISKCON Scarborough – YouTube videos from this weekend’s programs – including Radha Murari’s wonderful kirtan!‏
→ ISKCON Scarborough



Hare Krishna!


Please accept our humble obeisances!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!

Here are some YouTube videos from this weekend's programs:

Radha Murari's wonderful kirtan at the 7 hour Kirtan at the Hindu Sabha Mandir, Brampton, Canada




Gita Jayanti festivities - Friday -13th Dec 2013:



Live Bhagavad Gita radio program - "we choose our destination:




With best wishes from,

ISKCON Scarborough

3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,
Scarborough,Ontario,
Canada,M1V4C7



Email Address:

iskconscarborough@hotmail.com


website:

www.iskconscarborough.com