The office is empty. Everyone’s gone to a team party. I chose to stay back. Few asked why I wasn’t joining. I said, “8 hours work, 8 hours sleep and 8 hours chanting, meditation, prayer, temple service, family life, reading”. I have a packed life, you know. No time to party while I am on the road to purify, self-realize, liberate and back to Godhead.
“This doesn’t make sense.” We may get such doubts while studying Gita wisdom.
To ensure that doubts don’t swamp our spiritual prospects, we need to focus on the Gita’s essential message: a call for endless spiritual love between us and Krishna. The Gita elucidates this eternal message with contextual examples drawn from the culture in which it was spoken. For example, its tenth chapter illustrates Krishna’s opulences through metaphors drawn from the Vedic cultural and cosmological worldview.
As we have been educated in a different worldview, those metaphors may raise many doubts. Such doubts are peripheral; obsession with them can distract us from the opportunity to relish Krishna’s love by practicing devotional service. And life is too short and too precious to be wasted in doubting.
If we are sick, we don’t delay medical treatment till we get comprehensive understanding – something that requires a lifetime of study. If the treatment comes from a medical authority and makes basic sense, we take it and become healthy. The Gita offers a spiritual treatment for healing our heart of the malady of misdirected love. It comes from the greatest authority in all of existence: God himself. And its message makes profound sense; it resonates with our deepest intuition that we are meant for love and happiness and life eternal. Gaining comprehensive understanding of the Gita requires a lifetime of study. But we don’t have to delay our spiritual healing till then.
Arjuna illustrates this spiritual pragmatism when he accepts the Gita’s message (10.14) based not on a hair-splitting evaluation of all its statements but on the omniscience of its speaker and the coherence of its essential message.
We too can be similarly intelligent. Why let peripheral doubts deprive us of the essential love that can satisfy our heart’s deepest longings?
***
10.14 - O Krishna, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the demigods nor the demons, O Lord, can understand Your personality.
The purpose of Bhagavad-gita is to deliver mankind from the nescience of material existence. Every man is in difficulty in so many ways, as Arjuna also was in difficulty in having to fight the Battle of Kuruksetra. Arjuna surrendered unto Sri Krsna, and consequently this Bhagavad-gita was spoken
"I do appreciate that I persist patiently and that I’m able to control my mind even when there is no nectarean taste in chanting. I’m just suggesting that if I could be alert and bring the mind back to hearing, then why not try to go further. All the authorities say that attentive chanting is very important and leads to thinking about Krishna’s form, activities, qualities and pastimes. They must be right."
From Japa Transformations by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
"I do appreciate that I persist patiently and that I’m able to control my mind even when there is no nectarean taste in chanting. I’m just suggesting that if I could be alert and bring the mind back to hearing, then why not try to go further. All the authorities say that attentive chanting is very important and leads to thinking about Krishna’s form, activities, qualities and pastimes. They must be right."
From Japa Transformations by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
GITA COACHING: GITA COACHING ADVANTAGE: Gita Coaching is an intensive one-to-one coaching experience designed to help you create a compelling life by getting behind the why—the rea...
GITA COACHING: GITA COACHING ADVANTAGE: Gita Coaching is an intensive one-to-one coaching experience designed to help you create a compelling life by getting behind the why—the rea...
Sign reads, “Trespassers will be eaten”. That sounds menacing, if not dangerous, but may the truth be told here at the entrance of the African Lion Safari.
Our group made the morning outing in anticipation to meet just a fraction of what the Vedas conclude as the world’s 8,400,000 species of life. The “safari” is a drive through (with windows closed of course). First you view free roaming animals such as llamas, then lions, then monkeys who tend to take a free ride on your vehicle’s hood. There’s more, elephants take their bath in front of a crowd, that’s something we humans would have no tolerance towards.
We spent the afternoon walking on a stretch of the Bruce Trail, the country’s oldest foot path, and refreshed ourselves at Sherwin Falls. A good physical experience.
Dear to the hearts of everyone is the kirtan sessions that we have before we set out, and what we end up with as we wind down before eyelids shut at night at the home of our hosts Aindra and Prema Gaurangi for some of that chanting and a reading on the life of Krishna. That was really special as we took it to an engaging interactive level.
For me, personally, a deep contemplation on the morning’s lesson lingered inside of me. The fourth canto of the series Bhagavatam spoke about enemies during warfare and how at the end of the day there would be a mutual friendly come together before resuming ultimate combat to the death the next morning. This burying-the-hatchet at nightfall was always an extraordinary concept for me, such is what we also read about in the Kurukshetra war. This program appears somewhat a balanced approach as far as war craft is concerned. It’s interesting, very interesting.
Sign reads, “Trespassers will be eaten”. That sounds menacing, if not dangerous, but may the truth be told here at the entrance of the African Lion Safari.
Our group made the morning outing in anticipation to meet just a fraction of what the Vedas conclude as the world’s 8,400,000 species of life. The “safari” is a drive through (with windows closed of course). First you view free roaming animals such as llamas, then lions, then monkeys who tend to take a free ride on your vehicle’s hood. There’s more, elephants take their bath in front of a crowd, that’s something we humans would have no tolerance towards.
We spent the afternoon walking on a stretch of the Bruce Trail, the country’s oldest foot path, and refreshed ourselves at Sherwin Falls. A good physical experience.
Dear to the hearts of everyone is the kirtan sessions that we have before we set out, and what we end up with as we wind down before eyelids shut at night at the home of our hosts Aindra and Prema Gaurangi for some of that chanting and a reading on the life of Krishna. That was really special as we took it to an engaging interactive level.
For me, personally, a deep contemplation on the morning’s lesson lingered inside of me. The fourth canto of the series Bhagavatam spoke about enemies during warfare and how at the end of the day there would be a mutual friendly come together before resuming ultimate combat to the death the next morning. This burying-the-hatchet at nightfall was always an extraordinary concept for me, such is what we also read about in the Kurukshetra war. This program appears somewhat a balanced approach as far as war craft is concerned. It’s interesting, very interesting.
We’re half way through our festival tour. Yesterday we did harinam and had another blissful festival attended by thousands. Today we leave for Kostrzyn-nad-Odra to begin setting up Krsna’s Village of Peace at Woodstock. The nectar is flowing like a raging river!
Verse 4.5: The Personality of Godhead said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!
Many of us forget things from time to time. Whether it be where we left our keys, shut off the lights or checked the mail, there are plenty of things that fill up our head. It's no wonder that all kinds of apps and gadgets have been created to help us remember the long list of things that we hope to accomplish.
In the hustle and bustle of just trying to live our lives, it's easy to forget about the needs of the soul. After all, the majority of time tends to be spent on taking care of our body and things that are in relation to it. There's nothing wrong with taking care of the body, but just taking care of the body and totally neglecting the soul is counter-productive. That's because...
The soul is eternal whereas the body is temporary.
Most of us are well acquainted with the needs of the body, but what about the soul? In order to understand the soul's needs, one needs to learn about them from authorized sources. In this case, Arjuna has the perfect teacher, Krsna, to help him understand. To aid in that understanding, Krsna is explaining here that although the soul is eternal, it is limited.
Although eternal, the soul cannot remember the numerous bodies (i.e. births) it has taken.
Makes sense if you think about it. Many of us can't even remember what we wore yesterday, what to speak of trying to remember which body we wore in our last life or lifetimes prior! The question can be posed then - why is this important?
When we start to understand that we don't have the answers to everything because we are limited, it serves as a reminder that we are small. Sometimes the word small has a negative connotation, but in this case it just means we need some help. That help is available in the form of realized teachers who can help us understand who we really are.
When we try to sincerely learn and apply what the realized bhakti practitioners (and texts) teach us, we become empowered to understand their words. That knowledge becomes more than just theory; instead, we start to see their words manifest as reality in our lives.
So we don't remember our past lives or actions, big deal. If we stop and think about it - it might actually be a good thing! What's important is what we choose to do with our time now.
Verse 4.5: The Personality of Godhead said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!
Many of us forget things from time to time. Whether it be where we left our keys, shut off the lights or checked the mail, there are plenty of things that fill up our head. It's no wonder that all kinds of apps and gadgets have been created to help us remember the long list of things that we hope to accomplish.
In the hustle and bustle of just trying to live our lives, it's easy to forget about the needs of the soul. After all, the majority of time tends to be spent on taking care of our body and things that are in relation to it. There's nothing wrong with taking care of the body, but just taking care of the body and totally neglecting the soul is counter-productive. That's because...
The soul is eternal whereas the body is temporary.
Most of us are well acquainted with the needs of the body, but what about the soul? In order to understand the soul's needs, one needs to learn about them from authorized sources. In this case, Arjuna has the perfect teacher, Krsna, to help him understand. To aid in that understanding, Krsna is explaining here that although the soul is eternal, it is limited.
Although eternal, the soul cannot remember the numerous bodies (i.e. births) it has taken.
Makes sense if you think about it. Many of us can't even remember what we wore yesterday, what to speak of trying to remember which body we wore in our last life or lifetimes prior! The question can be posed then - why is this important?
When we start to understand that we don't have the answers to everything because we are limited, it serves as a reminder that we are small. Sometimes the word small has a negative connotation, but in this case it just means we need some help. That help is available in the form of realized teachers who can help us understand who we really are.
When we try to sincerely learn and apply what the realized bhakti practitioners (and texts) teach us, we become empowered to understand their words. That knowledge becomes more than just theory; instead, we start to see their words manifest as reality in our lives.
So we don't remember our past lives or actions, big deal. If we stop and think about it - it might actually be a good thing! What's important is what we choose to do with our time now.
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila PRabhupada.
H.H.Bhakti Raghava Swami will be visiting New Vrindaban Thu, Fri, Sat 25, 26, 27 of July . He will give initiations on the 27th Saturday morning and will give the class on Saurday morning. . He will attend the Pushya abishek. He will leave on Sunday morning for DC.
He is an inspiration for those aspiring to live in a farm community. He himself has been living in a farm for the last 2 years to set an example. If anybody would like to have a program on Fri and Sat nights please let me know.
If you become intimate with someone through service, even though you may be different, they still let you live in their house. Selfless devotional service endears us to Krishna and He invites us to live in His home, Sri Vrindavan.
Many site visitors have asked for transcriptions of the audio, especially the QAs. We have a team of volunteers who are working diligently at it. To accelerate the transcription, a devotee Ronak Prabhu has offered to sponsor the transcription, providing Rs 250 for every hour of transcription. This may involve about 7-8 QAs for transcription as the average length of an answer is usually between 5 to 10 mins. Those interested can write to Vaibhava Prabhu at vaibhav.sharma@zensar.in
The Bhagavad-gita (2.20) clearly says that after the destruction of the material body the living entity is not annihilated, nor does he lose his identity. The identity of the living entity is never impersonal or formless; on the contrary, it is the material dress that is formless and that takes a shape according to the form of the indestructible person.
We may sometimes become discouraged in our spiritual life: “I keep forgetting Krishna repeatedly even after practicing devotional service for so long. Is my practice of any use?”
Yes, it definitely is. Because it ends our forgetfulness of our forgetfulness. And that’s the only way to progress towards ending our forgetfulness.
When we drive a car, by default it tends to go off course unless we get it back on course. The same applies to our spiritual journey. The body-mind mechanism is like a vehicle for us souls. We can use it to return to Krishna by keeping ourselves on the track of devotional service. But this material mechanism, especially the mind, has default tendencies to gravitate towards worldly pleasures. During our journey on the track of devotional service, these tendencies push us off course. We cannot wish these tendencies away by any waving of a magic wand.
The only way to get rid of them is by steady, sustained rejection whenever they appear. Practically, this means that we get ourselves back on course, no matter how many times we find ourselves pushed off course. The Bhagavad-gita (08.08) assures us that if we practice bringing the mind back under control whenever it wanders, we will eventually attain perfection. When we commit ourselves to daily diligent practice of devotional service, we ensure that we commit to making course corrections regularly.
Our meditation and study first remind us that we have forgotten and then they remind us of what we have forgotten. The more we enthusiastically cultivate conscious remembrance of Krishna, the more our attraction to him deepens. This increases our remembrance of him at other times too till finally our forgetfulness dies. And thereby we live forever in Krishna’s love in this world and the next.
***
8.8 - He who meditates on Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Partha, is sure to reach Me.
Sleep was not going to be an easy task last evening. It became a blessing in disguise. I pulled myself off the mattress and ambled my way outside at the east end of Calgary when I opened my eyes to a marvelous display of the northern lights – explosions of light energy flashing about against the sky’s backdrop. It’s nature’s exhibitions like this that puts one in awe, and perhaps even reverence towards the Maker or Creator.
I had trekked along on a bike trail that looped when I spotted this wonder by nature. The trail ended up at a retail strip area where I came upon a nightclub which pulsated some rave music. Through a window I could see young folks gyrating to the gutsy thump of the music as the lights flashed with diverse colours meant to heighten the ecstasy of it all.
Little did the dancers know that something much more exciting was happening from above. When I actually passed by the main door of the club, a crowd was ‘hanging out’ on the street level mildly intoxicated. They could also not see the wondrous display from heaven. For them the center of life was encircled around the nightclub. At night time street lights naturally blur or obscure what is in the sky, and that includes the northern lights which I understand is a play of the sun’s rays within an electromagnetic field in the ether.
Hey, the club dancers were really missing something and I guess in a way I felt for them. What seemed to be more important to them is finding themselves within some conjugal relationship. Okay, so be it. Meanwhile, my connection with nature’s light show and its source became more than a beautiful momentary reality, it’s something to be appreciated.
Our short little bhakti road show in the prairies had been completed and we had flown back to Toronto on the previous day. Now, a second tour began, but this time it’s the replacement of the annual youth bus tour that I’ve been on for the last several summers. Kapil, a young bank employee from Alberta came to be chauffer and coordinator to a 12 seater van for a fun tour through Ontario and Quebec. We filled the seats with what I consider to be future leaders for our spiritual mission. I’ll be there for a week as well as Kapil whom we refer to affectionately as Captain Kapil or Cap Kap for short.
My time with Cap Kap and passengers is an investment for the future. Let these young folks have a good experience, fun and discipline mixed together in a spiritual environment. We have two boys from Florida, three girls from Montreal and four boys from Ontario. This is an opportunity for a younger set to get to know a monk more, and me them.
We took to a speed boat along with Korean tourists in the Niagara River through class 5 waves. We took to viewing the falls in full admiration of them. We finally finished with a rich meal at the home of Giri Jadhava, a dear friend who was my captain for travelling on the sankirtan mission in the early 70s. We all cooled down in a swimming pool and he and I reminisced about our days on the road including an amiable encounter with the legendary Vishnujan Swami, a pioneer amongst Krishna monks when we stopped in Baltimore, that was sweet.
Our crew is musical and so we have already begun to take full advantage of their gifted natures by encouraging kirtan, a panacea for the age.
Let there be mantra power that endures throughout the generations.
Sleep was not going to be an easy task last evening. It became a blessing in disguise. I pulled myself off the mattress and ambled my way outside at the east end of Calgary when I opened my eyes to a marvelous display of the northern lights – explosions of light energy flashing about against the sky’s backdrop. It’s nature’s exhibitions like this that puts one in awe, and perhaps even reverence towards the Maker or Creator.
I had trekked along on a bike trail that looped when I spotted this wonder by nature. The trail ended up at a retail strip area where I came upon a nightclub which pulsated some rave music. Through a window I could see young folks gyrating to the gutsy thump of the music as the lights flashed with diverse colours meant to heighten the ecstasy of it all.
Little did the dancers know that something much more exciting was happening from above. When I actually passed by the main door of the club, a crowd was ‘hanging out’ on the street level mildly intoxicated. They could also not see the wondrous display from heaven. For them the center of life was encircled around the nightclub. At night time street lights naturally blur or obscure what is in the sky, and that includes the northern lights which I understand is a play of the sun’s rays within an electromagnetic field in the ether.
Hey, the club dancers were really missing something and I guess in a way I felt for them. What seemed to be more important to them is finding themselves within some conjugal relationship. Okay, so be it. Meanwhile, my connection with nature’s light show and its source became more than a beautiful momentary reality, it’s something to be appreciated.
Our short little bhakti road show in the prairies had been completed and we had flown back to Toronto on the previous day. Now, a second tour began, but this time it’s the replacement of the annual youth bus tour that I’ve been on for the last several summers. Kapil, a young bank employee from Alberta came to be chauffer and coordinator to a 12 seater van for a fun tour through Ontario and Quebec. We filled the seats with what I consider to be future leaders for our spiritual mission. I’ll be there for a week as well as Kapil whom we refer to affectionately as Captain Kapil or Cap Kap for short.
My time with Cap Kap and passengers is an investment for the future. Let these young folks have a good experience, fun and discipline mixed together in a spiritual environment. We have two boys from Florida, three girls from Montreal and four boys from Ontario. This is an opportunity for a younger set to get to know a monk more, and me them.
We took to a speed boat along with Korean tourists in the Niagara River through class 5 waves. We took to viewing the falls in full admiration of them. We finally finished with a rich meal at the home of Giri Jadhava, a dear friend who was my captain for travelling on the sankirtan mission in the early 70s. We all cooled down in a swimming pool and he and I reminisced about our days on the road including an amiable encounter with the legendary Vishnujan Swami, a pioneer amongst Krishna monks when we stopped in Baltimore, that was sweet.
Our crew is musical and so we have already begun to take full advantage of their gifted natures by encouraging kirtan, a panacea for the age.
Let there be mantra power that endures throughout the generations.
