It is too easy to be nice with someone who is good to us. But how difficult it is to deal with those who are nasty to us? Tolerance is celebrated as a divine quality and intolerance is touted as the weapon of the demoniac. We long to develop the quality of ‘tolerance’ but we easily succumb to intolerance when confronted with unpleasant situations and circumstances. After venting out our inner angst we realize our mistake but sadly it is too late by that time. But why do we lack ‘tolerance’? Theoretically we do understand the gravity and necessity of ‘tolerance’ but practically it is too difficult to adopt it in our life. If we throw a stone in a small pool of water then the entire water body gets disturbed whereas if a stone is thrown in a huge ocean then it hardly makes any impact there. The ocean has depth whereas the small pudding of water is shallow, and so the difference in the impact.

Our reaction to any provoking situation is determined by the spiritual depth which we have cultivated through our sadhana. We immediately get provoked because our heart is shallow and so it does not have the ability to withstand any unpleasant situation. But if we have nurtured our spiritual life prudently then we can easily endure any provoking situation without being disturbed. If we want to progress in our life then tolerance is of immense importance. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in his siksastakam prayers has stated that one should be more tolerant than a tree and more humble than a blade of grass. In that state, Lord Chaitanya says one can chant the holy name of Krishna constantly and with deep love.

Every problem always has two solutions.  One of the solutions solves our problem permanently and the other gives an impression that the problem has been solved. When Vidura was rebuked and humiliated by Duryodhana just before the onset of Mahabharata war then Vidura did not react angrily. Instead of confronting the arrogant Kauravas, Vidura left in search for higher truth. He went on a pilgrimage; he visited several holy places and met several holy men including Uddhava and sage Maitreya. When Vibhishana was humiliated by proud and lusty Ravana then Vibhishana immediately took refuge of Lord Rama. Taking shelter of God dispelled all the miseries from the lives of Vibhishana and Vidura.

On the other hand we see that when Karna faced unpleasant situations in his life then his reaction was appalling. He went into a confrontonist zone and sided with evil Duryodhana. Karna initially thought that his miseries have been mitigated but actually his miseries got aggravated. Along with Duryodhana he also lived in constant anxiety and fear.

Vidura, Vibhishana and Karna – all three had the option to choose. What then followed in their lives was the outcome of their personal choices. Life always presents us with various opportunities. Our reaction to the situation determines our destiny. We can choose to be God conscious or we can decide to be ego conscious. We are independent to choose our path but we become utterly responsible for the path which we chose. So before taking any decision in our life we should introspect and see where we are heading towards – are we getting closer to God or are we moving away from him.

As a spiritual seeker we often find ourselves at loggerheads with our own thoughts. Although deep within our heart we try to come closer to God but our past conditioning pulls us down. We find ourselves constantly being defeated by our own old bad habits which we had nurtured earlier knowingly or unknowingly. Often finding ourselves torn apart between two divergent thoughts we start questioning our pursuit for spiritual upliftment. However instead of getting cowed down by the frequent setbacks which appears to be so defeating initially, if we keep endeavouring hard with determination then slowly the path of enlightenment will start opening.  

When a lotus flower is just a bud then it does not attract the attention and appreciation of others. But when the same lotus bud gets exposed to the moonlight then slowly it starts blossoming. The petals start opening up and soon the bud becomes an attractive lotus flower. Its beauty and fragrance attracts even the saddest soul. Similarly if we expose our heart to the chanting of the ‘Hare Krishna’ mahamantra regularly then our consciousness will too start blossoming like the lotus flower. As the lotus blossoms in the glaring light of the moon similarly our consciousness will blossom when Krishna’s mercy will inundate our heart. Krishna’s all purifying holy names will cleanse our hearts of all unwanted thoughts and will fill it with lots of love and joy. Krishna has already promised us in Bhagavad – Gita (9.22), ‘But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.’ Once our consciousness is blossomed then our heart will become an emblem of love constantly radiating love and joy in all the direction.

Yes, if our success thrives on others miseries. Our success is mostly comparative in nature.  A student gauges his success by seeing if he has scored more than his peers or not, we get dissatisfied with our jobs when we find that our colleagues are earning more than us. Thus caught up in the quagmire of comparison we hardly feel inner satisfaction and serenity.

We see that Duryodhana had everything in his life. Being the son of the king of Hastinapur his all demands were immediately met with. He soaked in the sights and sounds of material world. But still he never felt contented because he had developed immense hatred for the Pandavas. During the childhood, he tried to poison and kill Bhima. He conspired along with his cunning uncle Sakuni and greedy father Duryodhana to drive Pandavas out of Hastinapur and gave them Khandavaprastha. Khandavaprastha was nothing but jungle and forest; however the Pandavas under the direction of Krishna worked very hard to convert that barren land into Indraprastha. Seeing Pandavas ruling the flourishing kingdom of Indraprastha, Duryodhana’s hatred multiplied manifold. He again conspired with Sakuni and cheated Pandavas in the game of dice and forced them into 13 years of exile. During Pandavas exile Duryodhana usurped the kingdom of Indraprasta also. But in spite of all these he was always in misery. He remained in constant anxiety and always feared for his future.

The Pandavas never had any grudge towards Duryodhana. In fact Pandavas never ever tried to harm Duryodhana in spite of Duryodhana’s malicious campaign against them.  Duryodhana’s greed, envy, hatred and jealously not only ruined his life but it sowed the seed of Mahabharata war in which millions of worthy kings and soldiers perished. How envy is dangerous can be easily understood by contemplating on Duryodhana’s plight.

Real success is achieved when our heart is cleansed of hatred and envy. The panacea for making the world a better place is by cultivating selfless love. In Bhagavad – Gita 16.3, Krishna vividly talks about the godly qualities which a person should strive for and one of them He mentions is adrohah: freedom from envy.  So let us nurture our heart and allow the flowers of love to blossom within our heart whose fragrance will spread joy and happiness far and wide. Then we will not have envy for others but instead we will feel happy when we see others happy and we will feel pain when we see others in pain. That would be the true perfection of our live.

Determination is what separates a man from an animal. Animals act as per their instincts without bothering much about the consequences whilst the humans have the ability to contemplate on the outcome before any action. As humans we constantly endeavour to better our life. However due to lack of determination our attempts does not bring the desired result. Success is guaranteed if we sincerely try to achieve a goal following the directives of the revealed Vedic literatures

The Vedic literatures narrate the story of a 5 year old prince, Dhruva, who sought shelter of Krishna when adversities gazed him. Rebuked, neglected and insulted by his stepmother, Dhruva was heart - broken. The harsh words of his stepmother pierced his heart and he cried bitterly. His own mother’s pacifying words could not reduce his sufferings, the glitz and glamour of the palace did not attract him. During this precarious situation he decided to take refuge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. Narada, the great sage, was very much pleased with the little child’s intelligence and so he immediately decided to show him the right path. Dhruva under the guidance of sage Narada performed devotional service with full enthusiasm, determination and concentration for six complete months. Lord Vishnu, seeing the sincerity of the little boy immediately came to shower His affection and mercy upon him. Lord Vishnu awarded him the polestar which came to be known as Dhruvaloka, ensured that he will be the emperor of the whole world for 36 thousand years and at the end will return back to the spiritual abode. Dhruva achieved complete perfection by his sheer determination.

So, if we too want to achieve God’s mercy then like Dhruva we need to have determination and also complete faith in the mercy of the Lord. Lord never betrays His devotees; he just tests our sincerity and seriousness.

The below story of an anonymous writer about a little child helps us to understand as how being sheltered helps us to overcome any crisis:

An airplane lost its balance in the mid – air. Passengers were terrified, they were screaming. It appeared that the plane may crash at any time. The pilots eventually regained the control but only after hard struggle. However throughout the ordeal one little girl was very calm and composed. She was peacefully glancing over the pictures from an album. Amazed by her behavior, one of the co-passengers inquired, “Weren’t you afraid”? The girl answered – “No”. “But why”, he shockingly asked. She answered confidently, “My father is the pilot of this plane and I know that he will save me from all the dangers”.

Our life too loses balance quite often and we struggle hard to streamline it. But if there is a trustworthy person steering our life then, we too, like the little girl will be fearless. Vedic literatures explain that we are all individual souls and Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is our Supreme father. So, if we take shelter of Krishna then we can remain peaceful amidst great calamities.

Lack of time, lack of resource and lack of will power generally prevent us to achieve something great in our life. But to achieve the greatest of all things, the love of Krishna is the simplest thing in this world to do. The only thing which we need to give up is our desire to enjoy independently from Krishna. Krishna gives us the best. When Dhruv prayed him then Krishna made him the emperor of the whole world, Krishna helped Pandavas to defeat the insurmountable army of Kauravas, Krishna saved Prahlad from the jaws of death, he gave his dear friend, Sudama, the most opulent gift. Never ever we hear of an incident that someone asked from Krishna with love and Krishna refused to give him anything.

The taste of the pudding lies in tasting it. So, let us do a simple exercise. Let us close our eyes, think about Krishna, chant the mahamnatra, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare and in a prayerful mood reveal our hearts desire to Krishna. Krishna guarantees us in Bhagavad – Gita that those who willfully seek his blessings he never disheartens them. Worshipping Krishna and loving Krishna is so simple. He does not demand anything from us; in fact he can be pleased if we simply offer him a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water (Bhagavad – Gita 9.26). Let us give it a try once. The result will be awesome. This is validated in the all revealed scriptures and all his devotees vouch for it.

Do we ever visit a doctor whose treatment has repeatedly failed to cure our disease?  We may go to his clinic once, twice, thrice or at the most a dozen times but the moment we get convinced that his treatment is not effective then we start looking for a new doctor. Numerous recommendations and his several degrees do not attract us anymore. And if we find that there are people who have been wary of the doctor’s credentials then within no time we dump him.

So, when a certain section of the society – the atheists and persons sympathizing with them – ridicule the spiritualists then we should ask that despite severe criticism why do people’s faith in God is still intact. Unless and until the “lovers of God” may not be getting some higher taste they would have given practicing devotional life at some point of their life. Atheists call the spiritualists illogical, superstitious and sentimental. But in spite of several negative campaigns to belittle the “lovers of God”, people’s unfathomable love for God has not diminished. This is why we see millions of people braving cold weather and coming to kumbh mela in Allahabad for a holy dip. Now we may ask what a person gained just by taking a dip in sangam, he could have taken a bath in his house also. We tend to judge a person based on his externals basically his material positions and possessions. So from a materialistic vision we may not see a monumental change in the life of a spiritual seeker. However the inner bliss, the deep satisfaction and the everlasting peace a spiritual seeker experiences by participating in Kumbh Mela or any other genuine religious activities is inexplicable. Can a mother’s love for her child be explained scientifically or logically? Certainly not. Similarly the traits like inner happiness, satisfaction, love which a spiritual seeker feels when he connects with God cannot be explained if we just try to analyze it on material platform. People still love God despite several efforts by atheists to discourage them is because people do feel the presence of God.

Dhritrashtra had lots of material emotions. He used to cry tears for it. He wished to remain the king of Hastinapur and also wanted his son Duryodhana to succeed him. He was so much possessed with his material emotions that he committed several and severe blunders. The end result for him was unfortunately very gruesome – he not only lost his kingdom but also his 100 sons were killed. We too are possessed with material emotions. Materially we want to achieve the best of this world - big house, fancy cars, latest gadgets and almost everything especially those which adorn our friends and relatives’ house. We are aware of the horrendous reality that none of these things will accompany us forever but still we are enamored by it. In fact people are ready to do anything to achieve name, fame and money. Lance Armstrong, a famous athlete recently admitted of taking drugs to enhance his performance to ensure all the accolades comes to him.

Historically and logically it is proven that material emotions plunder our life. So it is imperative for us to transform our material emotions into spiritual emotions. To develop spiritual emotion is so easy, so simple and so practical. We neither have to leave our jobs nor we have to spend lots of time and money. We just need to dovetail all our activities in the service of the Lord. Whatever actions we perform we can offer it to Krishna and while doing anything we can remember Krishna. And by doing this we will develop a desire for Krishna (Bhagavad – Gita 12.9). Once we develop desire for Krishna then we can effortlessly transform and transcend our material emotions. 

Financial advisors repeatedly use the jargon – high risk high gain & low risk low gain – thus aggressively persuading the people to invest their hard earned money in high risk sectors. To maximize high gain people often invest in high risk sectors. During the period the money is invested the investors remain in deep anxiety because of uncertainty associated with the money market. If the return is not as per expectation then he is devastated and if unfortunately the share market crashes then people’s dream gets shattered. People go into deep depression and some even take the extreme step of committing suicide. However there is an opportunity for us to invest in a sector where for every investment there is a guaranteed surplus return. There is no risk associated with it and the return which we get remains with us forever i.e. its value never diminishes with the passage of time. There is in fact a guarantee of “no loss”.

As an investor we are just required to invest our time in developing love for God and start living as per his directives which can be understood from the Vedic literatures. The universal banker Krishna assures us, “In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear”. (Bhagavad – Gita 2.40). If we increase the quantum of investment then its return increases by manifold. And if the investment touches 100% then all our problems just withers away. We then become eligible to live a joyous & opulent life for eternity. Let us become a smart investor and make most of this wonderful opportunity.

We are parts and parcels of the Lord; this is elucidated by Krishna in Bhagavad – Gita (15.07), “The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts.” Krishna’s primary expansions are the visnu-tattva and we, the living entities, are his secondary expansions. Being his fragmental parts & parcels we also possess qualities akin to that of the Lord. We are qualitatively equal to Lord but quantitatively we are infinitesimal to Lord. For e.g. Lord can create huge planets and we too can create something small - like an airplane. Since God is supremely independent so we also have limited independence. Now the onus is on us as how do we utilize our independence. Either we can use it to be with the Lord or we can misuse it to turn away from the Lord. When we prudently use our intelligence then we enjoy the privilege of living happily with the Lord in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world we can see him, touch him, talk to him, play with him, in fact we blissfully spend each and every moment in God’s association.

But upon misusing our intelligence we lose the right to stay in the spiritual world just like a prisoner who loses the right to stay with the law abiding citizens when he becomes a nuisance to the society. In the material world we try hard to make things better so that we can enjoy but in spite of our efforts we hardly get any success. And if somehow we achieve something then it is also temporary. Confined within the prison, a prisoner may try to readjust his surroundings to lead a better life but he will hardly achieve any success because that is not his real home. He can experience happiness only when he comes out of the prison and reunites with his family and friends. Similarly if we are really serious for our own welfare then the foremost thing for us is to realize that this is not our original home, we are in an alien land. We need to endeavor to get out of here and return back to our original home which is the spiritual world. Once we reach there then all our miseries will vanish just as the darkness vanishes once the sun rises.  The independence which has been bestowed upon us is a valuable gift, let us not misuse it but let us use it to return back to Krishna’s abode.

He was roaming in the streets of Mumbai in a deplorable state. His body was covered with faeces and he was just donning a tattered t-shirt and nothing else. Jagdish Mali was once a renowned film photographer who is credited with immortalizing the famous Indian movie star, Rekha. During his hey days, several movie aspirants would make a beeline in front of his studio. But today he was all alone, in a decrepit state. Aghast by seeing his plight some of the people tried contacting his daughter. But sadly she too decided not to respond. (“Man who immortalised Rekha rescued from streets”, Times of India)

Our deep longing for material glory entangle us in this material world. Due to our intense desire for name, fame and money we develop strong lust and eagerness to achieve it. However, when we discover that our attempts for enjoyment are being thwarted or in spite of achieving it we do not feel any satisfaction then we develop great hatred and anger. This strengthens our illusion and we again run behind it just like a thirsty man runs towards a mirage in the desert. In this endeavor we completely forget our real spiritual identity thus forgetting God and His message. Due to our forgetfulness of God we lose our intelligence and thus we get further entrapped into illusion. Our life becomes miserable, without right intelligence we transform ourselves into a lump of flesh. Our pitiable situation although generates sympathy but it does not do any good to us. This is why in Bhagavad – Gita, Lord Krishna has warned us, “From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.” Bhagavad – Gita 2.63.

So in our life’s journey we should pause for a moment and ask ourselves, “Are we treading on the right path? Is the goal which we are pursuing will connect us to God and bring ultimate happiness or will it further entangle us in this material world?”

For millions and zillions of years he has been patiently waiting for us. One would have become hopeless by this time. But still he has the hope that a day will come when we will look towards him and will say “Yes, I have been missing you”.

2 birds are sitting on a tree – one is the Supersoul and the other individual soul. We are the individual soul and Krishna is the Supersoul. The individual soul is eating the fruits of the tree and the Supersoul is just watching him. Both the birds are desperate. The Supersoul is desperately waiting for the individual soul to turn towards him and the individual soul is desperate because his endeavours for material positions and possessions are always thwarted. We the individual souls are pre-occupied eating the fruits of this material world – sometimes bitter and sometimes more bitter- and the Supersoul is just looking towards us.  Both the Mundaka Upanisad (3.1.2) and Svetasvatara Upanisad (4.7) explain this graphically, "Although the two birds are in the same tree, the eating bird is fully engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of the tree. But if in some way or other he turns his face to his friend who is the Lord and knows His glories—at once the suffering bird becomes free from all anxieties."

We are friends with Krishna but we have forgotten our friendship with him. We independently decided to pursue our goals separately.  Out of our ego we struggle hard to achieve something from this material world. Sometimes our endeavour fructify and sometimes not. Whatever may be the outcome, the fruits which we get will always be non - permanent. At the time of death we have to leave everything reluctantly. When we accept a new body based on our qualification then again Krishna accompanies us. And he has been doing so for centuries. He is not enraged by our constant neglect. Just like a true friend he hopes that a day will come when we will remember him, embrace him and will say with deep love, “Yes Krishna, I have been missing you. I love you.”

Lord Vishnu was having his prasad and mother Lakshmi was serving him. Suddenly Lord Vishnu got up and immediately started running.  Lakshmi could not understand anything. But soon the Lord returned back. Lakshmi inquired, “What happened? Why did you rush so desperately and then returned back so quickly”. Lord Vishnu replied, “One of my children was in abject misery. He was being chased by a tiger. In desperation he called my name. Hearing his call, I immediately rushed towards him to save him. But soon he abandoned me and found a different means to protect himself.  He actually thought that I will not come to save him. Sadly he even doubted if I will hear his prayer”.

A thief may dress smartly but within his heart he is extremely fearful. He is always afraid of unseen danger and the chance of being caught. But a law abiding citizen lives a carefree life.

In this world misery afflicts those who mess up with the laws of nature. But those who live as per the injunctions of the revealed scriptures are always happy and hearty. The revealed scriptures such as Bhagavad – Gita, Srimad – Bhagavatam etc. should be our manual for life.  If we purchase any equipment then we get a manual with it which contains guidelines to operate the gadget. However instead of following the guidelines if we start using the machine whimsically then it is bound to give problems. Similarly if we go against the teachings of the scriptures and behave recklessly then we are bound to suffer. Those who understand this and prefer leading a spiritual life lead a very cheerful life.  But those who decry the scriptures often get bewildered by the material world. Uncertainty of the future makes him restive, frustration wanes his enthusiasm and he feels unloved and uncared.

Dealing alone with the material world is like an infant trying to swim across the ocean. Srila Prabhupada explains, bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syat : fear is caused by our absorption in the illusory energy.  However if an expert boatman picks up the child and puts him in his boat then the child’s misery vanishes. Krishna, the expert boatmen has sent the boat for us in the form of the scriptures. We just need to take shelter of this boat. We can safely and fearlessly cross over through all trials and tribulations of material existence.

As Srila Prabhupada explains that Abhayam, fearlessness, is possible only in Krishna consciousness.

A survey conducted by Sunday Times of India (March 6, 2011) threw up a surprise.  Contrary to the perception that young people in India are becoming disinclined towards spirituality the survey shows that younger people are more & more becoming interested in spirituality.

A person may be a billionaire, own palatial bungalows & fleet of cars, and may have all the comforts of this world but still he may feel hollow from within.

Suppose that we take a fish out of water & place it in a beautiful golden aquarium which has no water then will it make the fish happy?  Will the fish be satisfied & satiated just by being in a gold plated aquarium?  The answer is ‘NO’.  A fish can be happy only in water. 

Similarly irrespective of our material positions and possessions, we will feel deprived of inner fulfillment unless and until we re-connect ourselves to our true spiritual identity. We need to understand that we are not this body but we are souls presently in a human body. As a soul we are sac-cid-ananda i.e. eternal, blissful & full of knowledge. The nature of the soul is to be in constant association of the Lord.  So, when we endeavor to connect to the Lord we feel a sense of inner satisfaction & bliss from within. 

In an article published in the Reader’s Digest (‘Searching for the Divine’, Jan 2002) Prof Andrew a neurologist explains that at peak moments of prayer & meditation a person goes to a state of complete relaxation and deep satisfaction and experiences a higher reality.

The following story of a Polish girl illustrates how spirituality can help a person to tolerate a great pain.

The girl was 16 when she discovered that she has cancer & the cancer had already spread all over her body.  The girl was undergoing through tremendous physical pain but fortunately she had discovered a medicine which would help her to bear the unbearable pain.  She would find solace & comfort in singing the Hare Krishna kirtan (song).   Slowly her condition deteriorated further & it became impossible for her to even speak.  Then she requested her brother to sing the kirtan for her.  Her brother who was studying in a college used to phone her and sing the kirtan for her everyday from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. It continued for 2 months.  And one fateful night the girl left this world while her brother was singing the kirtan for her.  Her brother was not aware of this fact.  He came to know about her sister’s death only when his mother picked up the phone and informed him that his sister is no more.   Her death was peaceful. (Reference: travelingmonk.com, I-never-Cry, Volume 11, Chapter 10, Oct 11, 2010). 

The girl was able to withstand the tremendous physical pain because she was able to connect herself with the Supreme Lord which enabled her to experience a higher taste and a higher level of satisfaction which was beyond the body, mind & senses

Spirituality not only purifies our consciousness but also helps us to understand our real self.  So, we should re-spiritualize our lives & develop a harmonious relationship with the Lord then Krishna’s holy names become the soothing balm and His words of wisdom helps us to transcend any pain.

Today many of the so called scholars often ridicule the Vedic literatures and claim that they denigrate women. In fact these days it has become a fashion to deride the Vedic literatures to champion ones modern outlook. Timeless Vedic literatures have always held high regard for women.

Below are quotes from the scriptures, it can help us to understand Vedic perspective on women.

• A Woman must be honored and adorned by their fathers, brothers, husbands, and brothers in law, who desire their own welfare. Where women are honored, there the gods are pleased; but where they are not honored, no sacred rite yields rewards. Where the female relations live in grief, the family soon wholly perishes; but that family where they are not unhappy ever prospers. The houses on which female relations, not being duly honored, pronounce a curse, perish completely, as if destroyed by magic. Hence men who seek (their own) welfare, should always honor women on holidays and festivals with (gifts of) ornaments, clothes and (dainty) food. In that family, where the husband is pleased with his wife and the wife with her husband, happiness will assuredly be lasting. (Manusmriti: The Laws of Manu, Chapter 3,55-60)

• Vedas state that when a woman marries then she enters “as a river enters the sea” and “to rule there along with her husband, as a queen, over the other members of the family”. (Atharva-Veda 14.1.43-44)

Sir Monier Monier-Williams (1860-1888) an Indologist and head of the Oxford's Boden Chair, has written: "Indian wives often possess greater influence than wives of Europeans." He is not a true Hindu who does not regard a woman's body as sacred as the temple of God. He is an outcast who touches a woman's body with irreverence, hatred or anger."

There are so called scholars who have some personal bias towards Hinduism so they pick and chose a particular statement from the Vedic literatures, manipulate it and then try to portray that Vedas are against women. And unfortunately there are very few people who speak against this bias.

The atrocities which are happening against women (or against men) is because people have started taking great pleasure in living sinful lives. Just an e.g. during the Vedic tradition elders were greatly respected but today they are thrown into old age homes by his own sons and daughters (!). In order to live an independent life mother abort the child in the womb – it’s a cold blooded murder of a child who cannot protect himself/herself. Yes, irrespective of whether the child is male or female they are being murdered in mother’s womb.

Strict laws and strong moral values are answer to crimes against humanity. 

Seeing Krishna entering Dwarka, the citizens immediately rushed towards Him. In absence of Krishna they were extremely fearful and were eagerly waiting for Him. There fear vanished when they saw Krishna. Out of love they brought several gifts for the Lord and the Lord happily accepted it.

In this world everyone lives in anxiety and in constant fear. The cause of fear is uncertainty. Material nature with which we are associating is very powerful & uncertain, we cannot confront it alone. We need shelter of Krishna to cross over.  But unfortunately we have disassociated ourselves from Krishna.

An orphan lies uncared and unprotected, so he wails pitiably. An orphan cannot be blamed for his precarious condition because he did not abandon his father but his father abandoned him. But how unfortunate we are that we have abandoned our father, Krishna, and have become orphan? Let us ponder over it and ask ourselves that why did we abandon Krishna? Why not re-spiritualize our life and return back to our original home, which we left out of foolishness?

Mind always demand for more and more. No matter how much we satisfy it but like a mad elephant it keeps us tormenting. All the crimes which occur are due to the uncontrolled mind. Criminals too are aware about righteous and unrighteous activities. But there unbridled mind drag them towards the hellish path and thus they invite misery for themselves and afflict miseries on others too.

Great personalities throughout ages have accepted this harsh reality. Arjuna too admits it in Bhagavat – Gita – “For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.” (Bhagavad – Gita 6.34)

Mind ought to be controlled by intelligence but often mind overpowers the intelligence. However there is a hope for us. Krishna concedes that controlling mind is difficult but he also assures us that it is not impossible. Lord Sri Krishna said: “O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment.” Bhagavad – Gita 6.35.

Practice: The most potent way of practicing mind control in this age is by chanting the holy names of the Lord like the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Along with this we also need to hear more about the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, it will purify our consciousness and will nourish our intelligence.

Detachment: Krishna has prescribed vairagya i.e. detachment from material/worldly thoughts and engagement in spiritual activities. Some try to control the mind by trying to create a void in the mind or my emptying the unwanted thoughts. Such a process will not yield any substantial result.   If we want to light a bulb in the house then we first connect the plug to the main line. The main line draws power from the power grid and supplies light to us. Similarly the moment we connect ourselves to Krishna, who is the source of all enlightenment, our intelligence gets nourished and strengthened. All the negative thoughts start vanishing and we get spiritual intelligence. And then by our intelligence we can effortlessly subdue the mind.

Srila Prabhupada explains, “The easiest way to control the mind, as suggested by Lord Chaitanya, is chanting "Hare Krishna," the great mantra for deliverance, in all humility. The method prescribed is sa vai manah Krishna - padaravindayoh [Srimad Bhagavatam 9.4.18] one must engage one's mind fully in Krishna.”

It is verily said - Mind can be our best friend and also can be our worst enemy. If we want mind to be our best friend then we need to follow the footsteps of Arjuna who after hearing the message of Bhagavad – Gita decided to act righteously as per Krishna’s advice.  

A cow tied to a pole with a rope has the independence equivalent to the length of the rope. The cow can do whatever within the periphery of the rope but beyond that she has no independence unless and until the master is ready to increase the length or untie the rope.

Our independence is akin to that of the cow. We may feel that we are the controller & the proprietor of our body, our senses, our home and our dependents but our control is very limited. Our pitiable condition can be gauged from the fact that we do not have control even on our senses and mind. This is why several mind control books flood the market. We are utterly subordinate to nature. We have to work as per the laws of nature. We cannot survive even for a moment if we go against its certain specific laws. Can anyone live without breathing? We may temporarily stop eating or drinking or sleeping but not permanently. None of us want to be diseased but still we suffer from it. We do not want to die but still we die. This is our real position – we are not the controller but we are controlled and we are not independent but are mostly dependent.

Being controlled is not a disadvantage for us but it’s rather an advantage. For a kite to fly high in the sky it needs to be controlled and connected by a thread. The threads which will help us rise high in the sky are the words of wisdom espoused in the revealed scriptures. We need to give the reins of our life to Krishna who as a charioteer saved Arjuna from all the dangers and helped him to triumph all his adversaries.