Hare Krsna
Jai Srila Prabhupada
Hari Bol
Nityanananda Gauranga
Jai Radhe Shyam!
Prabhu ji's and Mata ji's!!
Please help me:
1) I am eating onion-garlic-spices etc as I cannot cook. If I want to cook, My parents will stop me as I have more important work- academics. SO, I am not able to control lust, anger, material desires. I am not able to purify my existence. I feel myself in rajas and tamas guna. Please give me some temporary ideas to stay away from lust and material desires as long as I do not eat Krsna Prasadam except on Ekadasi.
2) I have posted about Lord Siva as greatest Vaishnava and Durga Devi as Great Vaishnavi on facebook. Now every week or day or month, Shaktas, shaivas and smartas want to argue. What should I do? Block them or argue. I don't feel to argue as my mind becomes contaminated in their virtual association. Please help.
3) Which mantra is more merciful?
Hare Krsna mahamantra or Vaishnava pranama mantra because I want relief from sinful desires and laziness. I like Vaishnava pranama mantra because I have attained material favour and spiritual profit by it.
Thanks. Hari Bol
Replies
HARI BOL PRABHU JI!
JAI SRILA PRABHUPADA
HARI BOL
I am 17 yrs 10.5 months old in this human form of life. Actually materialists like their progeny to become even more materialist. If you just do chanting without material desires, they will tell you mad. actually, I was also like them many months ago. They are misled by britishers and cheater babas thata spirituality is just a business and does not exist. They also believe that moksa is obtained just by doing material duties with attacment and love.
It is better for me to wait till I earn and live separate from them and purchase scriptures, devotional items and when I will be strong in faith and practical service, then I will preach to them. Till that have to eat that rajasic-tamasic food.
If I protest, they will again criticise Vaishnavas and I may have to suicide to leave this body which is given by these parents who are blasphemers. At present I am behaving exernally as materialist. I am waiting for right time.
Radhe Prabhu ji!
Yes we offer fruits to demigods and when I worship earlier I generally offer it to Lord Krishna before demigods.
Thanks to Sabyaschi Prabhu ji, Bhaktin Maral Mata ji, Chandrakkant Prabhu ji, Harshikesh aand Rahul prabhu jis!
I needed such encouragement.
But lust can be driven away fully by full devotional service which is possible in disassociation of nondevotees and association of Vaishnavas, following of Acharyas.
Dandavat Pranam
AGTSP
Its like wonderful question wonderful answer by all Prabhujis and Matajis. Really enlightened.
Trying to propose some options for your Question 1(which will be of very little value in front of the knowledge shared by Rahul Prabhu, Harshikesh Prabhu,Bhaktin Maral Mataji)
In my personal experience I have seen, its more difficult to explain our regulations to the ritualistic Hindu parents, cause they have a mindset that whatever they are doing is okay and as all are doing the same, so that will take them to salvation and their progeny should be exactly like them. Answering your questions:
Although Onion , Garlic are vegetables still they are rejected by atharva veda from sattvic aahar as they impart rajasik and tamasic guna to food. So such things are not offered to God and are not consumed by us. Some of the options you can opt for are:
1. You can lovingly tell your mother, that you love to eat prasad and how good that would be if you can daily eat it.... that way your heart would be content. Now if your mother is cooking prasad in those items she will not use onion, garlic, mushroom, lentils... so you get sattvic food.
2. You can strongly say as Rahul Prabhuji and Bhaktin Maral Mataji told, that you are not going to eat food with those elements, if your mother dosent cook for you, in that case you have to... also remind them that it might hamper your priority (study).
3. Say that you won't study untill and unless they make surethat you get proper sattvic food.
These are some of the options I have heard some devotees to have attempted and could convince. I pray that your problem comes to an end as soon as possible by Krishnas causeless mercy.
Your servant
one thing please try Prabhuji which was given by Rahul Prabhuji.
another thing is to lie if You are still depended on Your parents (if young yet). Lie looks like the next:
after eating food with onion and garlic You feel pain in stomach, acidity...and request mother to help to solve this problem.
or else find Devotee family near by and buy or give money for daily Prasadam and eat with them and tell to Your mom that it is Your decision - finished!
In my case i used to eat when everyone completes their food or before so that to tell to them that i ate everything. But used to cook myself and lie to them. But later i was bold in this no matter what i will eat only veg.
...
Also You can cultivate nice relationships with Your mother. Try not to be mommy boy but (please forgive me, it is not about You) but a gentle man who takes care of Mother and gives protection to her. When she feels You very strong and intelligent then she won't force You to do something but will take advice from You...Son do You think onion is good? ...No Mother, onion is bad i will eat from Your hand only if You cook without onion...
Just try to be gentle men - one who can control his senses - and that is possible when we start to chant 16 rounds (2 is also ok, but we have to increase and be regular - it is the foundation and means of our movement)
Reading Srimad Bhagavatam. And the most important thing is ASSOCIATION OF DEVOTEES.
Find sincere Devotee friends and share Your heart with them. It will be very easy and joyful to cross the ocean of miseries.
Lust is lust what to do? Just to tolerate. There is no other way. Pray and cry for help and tolerate the urges not committing any sin anymore. Just cry as like a child.
please forgive me, in the reality all these things i told to myself!
Your servant,
what a statement and determination! What means to be strong! To be able to control the senses and whole world is controlled non violently!
Society needs such like people like Rahul Prabhuji!
All glories to You!
Your servant,
Lust is a near-impossible desire to control. It comes and it goes, and it appears randomly too. Just increase your chanting (of course since you are secretly chant two rounds, but what is stopping you from thinking about Krsna all-day all night long?
Don't try to shun lust away, because that is a waste of time and energy. Instead turn your lust into a spiritual thing, because lust is nothing but an intense attraction to someone or something (modern day society makes it seems like a sexual thing but lust is nothing but a very intense desire. Nonetheless, don't get confused and think that lust > Prema. Nothing is greater than Prema - true love). For example, lust for meeting Krsna (when put in this context and combining the modern day typical meaning, it does sound "odd" but stop thinking about lust in that sexual way.. there are many levels of lust, the bottom of which is sex).
The point is - we cannot immediately give up lust, we aren't that amazing or powerful. What we can do is change who we are attracted to. Instead of pretty people on the screens, we can look towards Krsna and his wonderful leelas. Engage our minds in that, and you'll see your lust (in general) start to shrink and your Prema (love of God) increase.
The main thing is to remember Krsna as often as you can. If you can only chant 2 japa rounds daily secretly, it's ok, but you have to show Krsna that you are serious about him and thus think about him constantly. You can't win in this without Krsna's help and Krsna, in His ever so mischievous nature, is testing you to see how much you stand up to the pains of material desire. But once Krsna sees you are determined, he himself will remove all the obstacles.
Have faith in Krsna, chant daily (more if possible), think of Krsna constantly, and just ask your parents nicely if this is possible.
Also, to intrude on your personal life - do you have deities in your home (be it of Radha Krsna, Lord Shiva, Devi Mata, etc)? Do you offer food to them? I assume your parents are Hindus?
Harikesa Prabhu ji!
Thank you.
My mother puts spices, onion and garlic in khicdi, dal, vegetables. Only on Ekadasi I am somehow saved.
I have not even told them that I am aspiring to be lowest servant of Vaishanavas.
But problem lies that I was caught in lust from 2005 and it trapped me in 2010, and it has not left me. Permanent solution is Krsna Consciousness purely. But I have not told my parents because they are against Bhakti or even jnana or sannyasa or brahmacari or grhstha(not grhamedhi) asrama. Whenever they come to know that I am lowest aspiring devotee, they are angry and lose their temper. I am chanting secretly on fingers, just 2 rounds and that too by walking(not sitting) and it is inattentive as I am not thinking of Bhakti or Bhagavan. I am also doing seventh, ninth, tenth, and also other offenses. i don't know but I think I might have done Vaishnava aparadha. What should I Do?
JAI SRILA PRABHUPADA
JAI ACHARYAS, VAISHANAVAS
NITYANANADA GAURANAGA
HARE KRISHNA
JAI RADHE
Shubham Prabhuji, I can completely empathise with you. Prahlad Maharaj faced a situation which was even graver than this. Your's is nothing as compared to him. At least you are not forced to eat meat.
It is seen that even devotees who don't eat onion and garlic cannot become completely free from lust. Lust is one of the biggest force which obstructs all of us in becoming pure devotees of Krishna. I have heard that even those who live in the Himalayas subsisting on little food, are tormented by the force of lust. Ekalshringi Rishi had never seen a woman in his life but got so enamored by the beauty when a beautiful prostitute entered in his hermit to seduce him. In this Bharat khand, only Lord Nar-Narayan dev is completely lust free. Once, Indra sent beautiful apsaras to seduce him, but He himself produced even more beautiful apsara from His thigh. Indra felt ashamed by his act and asked for forgiveness. In the Mahabharat and Srimad Bhagvatam it has been said that there is no difference between Lord Nar-Narayan dev and Lord Krishna. Both are one and same. That is why Lord Krishna could hold His virya despite of associating with gopis in the Rasa dance. This wonderful feat (i.e being an urdhvareta despite of associating with women) can only be performed by God.
We have surrendered unto the lotus feet of Hrishikesha so we should pray to Lord everyday to make us lust free. Only constant prayer can help us. By knowing our strong desire to become lust free, Lord Hrishikesh will help us in our endeavor to become lust free.
It is just a matter of few years for you to stand on your own legs. After you start earning, you can live your life as per your own spiritual aspirations. When we walk 1 step towards Krishna, He will come 10 steps closer to us. Thus, till you become Independent, keep worshiping Krishna in your heart and do not feel guilty for lusty thoughts arising in you. After all, lust has been programmed in all the jivas by God Himself to continue the line of creation. We only need to check that our brahmacharya remains intact. Forget the past and put efforts to don't let that past repeat. Just stay away from girls.
Your servant in serving Krishna
Harshikesh Bhattacharya
Hare Krishna,
Even im still facing this problem of parents even after marriage so its never ending stuff going on in most houses especially our middleclass people bcz parents think we are going to become Sadhu by not eating Taamsik food and we will end up in Brahmacharya which is not easy Dear but parents dont know that.
Anyways continue your chanting and hearing and also Praying to Krishna Sincerely and become Independent First and then choose Krishna as your first goal.Parents and Career will also follow you.
All Glories to Guru and gauranga
Dear Shubham Prabhuji,
Hare Krishna !
Ans. for Q.1 : You can eat dal-rice or khichdi-curry every day as it does not contain onion-garlic. Onion garlic are really awful. Hence they will definitely spoil your intellect completely. So, you should become more courageous like a lion to stay within dharma, gradually your mother will prepare special food without onion and garlic for you. The only best solution to become lust-free is to have direct association with good Vaishnava Sadhus and Brahmacharis. This will erode your material desires.
Ans. for Q.2 : As you have already posted the facts, you can now stop replying to them. You can even block them.
Ans. for Q.3 Obviously Hare Krishna mantra. Even Prabhupada would tell you so. However you can also chant Pranama mantras side by side. There is nothing wrong in it.
Your servant in serving Krishna...
Harshikesh Bhattacharya