We living beings are forced to take birth in this world and based on our past karma we get a particular body. Some become humans, some animals, some plants, some reptiles etc. Among the human species also some are born in a rich family, some in poor, some beautiful, some not so beautiful, some tall, some short and so on. Our birth too isn’t pleasurable. We are imprisoned in a tiny little womb of our mother for 9 months and when we come out we cry, our body is covered with blood, bile and mucus.

Our birth is painful & growth is full of anxiety. Throughout our life we have to constantly struggle for survival fighting many diseases and insecurity. To our chagrin after few years our body starts to dwindle, hair become white, faces fill up with wrinkles and one final day we are forcibly dragged out of our body and our body which remained our abode for several years are dumped into the graveyard and is either burnt there or buried on which rats, insects, cockroaches and their brethren feast.

Now just compare the life of the supreme Lord when he is in this world. He comes to this material world by his own will. His birth isn’t painful and he takes the form as he desires. Disease does not touch him and miseries of this world do not affect him. When Indra tried to inflict suffering on Krishna and his associates by pouring gallons of water from the sky to submerge Vrindavana then Krishna lifted Govardhan and held it as an umbrella to save all. Also with the passage of time the Lord does not age. Have we ever seen the picture of Krishna or Rama as old men? Never. Because they are beyond the laws of the material nature.  They are not shrouded with any material sufferings or insecurity.  And when Lord finishes all his activities then he returns back to his spiritual world. 

There are some lunatics in this world who claim that he/she is God , some advertise that they can make others God and some foolishly try to become God. So before embarking on this futile mission of becoming the Supreme Lord we should introspect and see the superiority and infallibility of the Supreme Lord.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead has no material birth, activities, name, form, qualities or faults. To fulfill the purpose for which this material world is created and destroyed, He comes in the form of a human being like Lord Rama or Lord Krishna by His original internal potency. He has immense potency, and in various forms, all free from material contamination, He acts wonderfully. He is therefore the Supreme Brahman. I offer my respects to Him. (Srimad Bhagavatam 8.3.8-9).

We should always remember that “God is always God” and no one can ever become God.

Upset over the exam result, a student commits suicide. A man was facing acute economic hardships so he decided to end his life along with his wife and children. Many such incidents we regularly read in newspapers or hear about it. Sometime people get so overwhelmed by their situations and circumstances that they feel by ending their life all their miseries will cease to exist.

But this is not going to happen because we are souls and so our life will never end i.e. we are never going to die. This is confirmed in Bhagavad – Gita 2.13:- As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death.

Human life is a gift of God, so committing suicide is a sin. So, if someone ends his life on his own then he is in fact aggravating his miseries and not reducing it. Our past karma will always accompany us.

The problems which we are facing now are because of something wrong which we have done in the past. Let us try to face the challenges which life offers us with positive mindset and not get too much disturbed by it.  In fact in this world we cannot expect “no miseries”. Bhagavad – Gita 2.14 provides an approach to deal with challenges “O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed” 

4 friends had assembled together to discuss what inspires each to practice devotional life.  Out of the 4, one was a celibate monk, 2 others were householders living with their wives and one was although a married person but had lost his wife. So the discussion began.

1^st friend: I decided not to enter into a family life so that I can devote my entire time for the Lord.   I do not have any material responsibility so each and every moment I try to spend in nurturing my spiritual life.

2^nd friend: When my wife died I realized that how miserable and temporary this material world is. Only thing eternal in this world is our relationship with Krishna and so I conscientiously try to cultivate that relationship.

3^rd friend: My wife has made my life hell so much so that I shudder at that of returning home. Krishna consciousness is the only solace for me and devotees association my only shelter.

4^th friend: My wife is so nice that she has made our house a Vaikuntha. I feel the presence of Lord in the house and it motivates me to become dedicated in my spiritual pursuit.

4 friends had different material situations and circumstances but none gave excuses not to practice Krishna Consciousness but instead each gave reasons for being Krishna Conscious.

In spite of our material disposition and position we can practice spiritual life. A householder, a celibate, a rich, a poor, a man, a woman all can develop love for Krishna if they have the determination. Material circumstances may present multiple challenges but if we are determined to practice devotional life then no force in this world can stop us.

Before the onset of Mahabharata war, Krishna gave opportunity to both Arjuna and Duryodhana to exercise their free will. Both had to choose either Krishna or Krishna’s Narayani sena (army). Not just this, Krishna had declared that he would not fight but his powerful army would fight during the war. Arjuna made up his mind and Duryodhana was also not confused. At the end both were happy. Arjuna without any hesitation choose Krishna and Duryodhana was jubilant because he got the mighty Narayani Sena.

In our life we also get an opportunity to exercise our free will. Whether we choose Krishna or Krishna’s material energy reflects our true character. Most of us get enamored by the material life, externally we may demonstrate our longing for Krishna but within our heart what we long for is more important.

During the war Duryodhana was ultimately defeated and whoever was on his side also met the same destiny. In fact in this world everyone is always defeated. Only Lord is always victorious. Arjuna was on the side of Krishna so he too tasted victory. Material life seems to be too enticing initially and spiritual life appears to be too difficult. But those who tread the path of spirituality always achieve success. It is verily said that material life appears to be nectar in the beginning but becomes poisonous in the end whereas spiritual life may appear poisonous in the beginning but is nectar at the end.

In our life while exercising our free will we need to ask ourselves whether we are following the footsteps of Arjuna or of Duryodhana.

Our consciousness shapes our vision. External world may not change for us or will never change for us but if we purify our consciousness then the way we see the world will drastically change. Just before the Mahabharata war Arjuna was in a miserable situation failing to understand the righteous and unrighteous path. But Krishna’s guidance completely transformed his life. The situation for Arjuna remained the same. He had to fight the war; he had to fight against his great grandfather Bhisma, guru Drona and his cousin brothers. But Krishna’s timely intervention dispelled all his ignorance. Arjuna’s consciousness changed and he became ready to battle against mammoth army of Kaurava.
If we imbibe the true spirit of Gita then we won’t get bewildered when we encounter difficulties. Gita’s wisdom nourishes intelligence, strengthens will power and imparts discriminatory power. Armed with these weapons we can face the challenges of life with vigour.

From Jan 1^st onwards we start wishing people “Happy New Year” - sometimes with feelings and sometimes without feelings. But one thing is for sure that advertently or inadvertently we wish others to be happy.

Wishing to be happy is commendable but simply wishing and not endeavoring to achieve it will not bring any result. For example, if a student wants to be a class topper then he needs to work for it then only his dream would be accomplished. Simply wishful thinking will not bring success to him. Similarly if we want to be happy then we will have to work hard for it. But our endeavor should always be in the right direction. Being happy is our natural instinct. As a soul we are ananda-mayo bhyasat – pleasure seeking.

So to be happy we will have to diligently work for it by following the injunctions of the revealed scriptures. At the most important moment of his life Arjuna completely lost his composure and was in acute misery. Completely baffled he decided to seek guidance of his dear friend Krishna. Krishna’s wisdom words helped him to triumph his emotional turbulence thus transforming his life. He got spiritually enlivened and completely re-charged for the inner and the outer battle. In the war he successfully conquered the Kaurava’s mighty warriors and throughout his life he lived happily by living as per the instructions of Krishna.

This is why at the end of Bhagavad – Gita Arjuna says karisye vacanam tava – I will do whatever you say (B.G. 18.73). Krishna’s teachings transformed Arjuna completely. So if we are seriously thinking to make this New Year happy then we need to seek Krishna’s advice. And then we can be 100% sure that this New Year will be “Happy” for us.

Iskcon’s extraordinary success in spreading its wing in mere 50 years shows that there are people all over the world who still have great affinity for India’s Vedic culture and tradition.  When Srila Prabhupada incorporated Iskcon then he refused to dilute the Vedic teachings to make it more acceptable to non-Indians. Not just the philosophy but even the attire and the food he introduced in the west were completely Vedic.  Men were supposed to wear Dhoti-kurta and had to have sikha and tilak and women were required to don saree and wear tilak. And all devotees were supposed to take sanctified vegetarian food. Before Srila Prabhupada and after Srila Prabhupada many Indian spiritual leaders went to the western world but most of them refused to present the Vedic scripture “as it is” because they feared lack of following.  But Srila Prabhupada had not gone to west to become a famous preacher.

He was not mesmerised seeing the material beauty of the western world. Although he praised the western men and women for their workmanship but reminded them unambiguously that material advancement will not bring ultimate satisfaction in their life.  He told them that the purpose of human life is to know God and he begged them to chant the holy name of the Lord to revive their relationship with the Lord. In return he did not expect anything for himself. He did not identify people based on their nationality or gender or colour of the skin or caste or creed. He saw everyone as children of one God and he was clear who that God is. Krishna is the Supreme God, he declared, and he backed it with numerous references from the Vedic literature.

Today Iskcon has become one of the most prominent spiritual organizations of the world. It has more than 600 temples spread all over the world. And also there are numerous farm communities and vegetarian restaurants. Vedic literatures are being distributed in thousands every year in all the major languages of the world. Krishna Conscious devotees can be seen everywhere - in USA, in Europe, in Asia, in Africa, in Australia. Many of them are materially very influentially and many of them are from humble background. Temples are not just located in important cities like New York, New Delhi, Mumbai, Moscow, London or Luxembourg but is also located in small towns and villages. Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra is celebrated in hundreds of cities of the world.

One would have expected that such phenomenal success would invite all round appreciation especially from fellow Indians. But there are some who are levelling false allegation against Iskcon. Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand  recently alleged that Iskon temples are center of religious conversion and Iskcon temples in India are collecting money and sending to the west. But he failed to provide any proof regarding this.

Does Iskcon indulge in religious conversion?

Iskcon does not use any money to purchase people’s faith as is being done by some missionaries in poor countries. And Iskcon never uses violence and force people to follow their philosophy as is being done by ISIS. When Srila Prabhupada went to the west, he was penniless and had no permanent place to stay and no guarantee of daily food. To spread the message of Krishna Consciousness he shared with them the timeless teachings of Vedic literature and introduced the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. He did not promise his followers any material benefit, he just told them that re-establishing relationship with the Supreme Lord will make you eternally happy. And the same preaching strategy is still being employed by followers of Srila Prabhupada. Iskcon does not indulge in religious conversion but only believes in transformation of people’s heart. One can belong to any religion or any nationality and can still practice Krishna Consciousness. People do not have to convert to Hinduism to practice Krishna Consciousness.

 Do Iskcon temples in India send money to the west?

Those who follow Iskcon closely will laugh at this allegation. Each Iskcon temples are required to raise their finances separately. However all Iskcon temples are also supposed to support the Iskcon project in Vrindavan and Mayapur. And few months back devotees from Mayapur were travelling all over the world to collect fund to build a magnificent temple of Lord Krishna and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Mayapur. So actually the funds are coming in India and not going from India.

There will always be ill informed people who will try to spread rumours but Krishna being the best judge and protector of devotees will make sure that Krishna Consciousness keeps on flourishing. During 1970s when Krishna Consciousness was rising in the west a Bollywood movie was made in which it was shown that devotees are taking drugs and chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra. But the reality was that each committed devotees are supposed to follow 4 regulative principles - no meat eating, no gambling, no intoxication and no illicit sex. But the attempt to defame Iskcon did not succeed and Krishna Consciousness movement has grown from strength to strength and with the mercy of Lord Chaitanya will continue to grow.

Only For Humans

                                                                       Only For Humans

If God created both – men and women – then why does he discriminate between them?  Few activists supported by left liberal pseudo secular activists raise this question frequently. The recent controversy is about the right of women to enter the Shani temple in Maharashtra. It is not that the women are not allowed to enter the Shani temple; it is in the sanctum sanctorum where they are not allowed.  Out of several thousand of temples in India, in few of the temples, may be couple or at the most less than half a dozen, where they are not allowed. And the restriction isn’t whimsically there is a logic given behind that. And there are some temples where men are not allowed such as in Linga Bhairavi.

Why the outrage?

Is it that the activists who desperately want to enter the temple and their pseudo secular supporters have developed deep love for the demigod Shani. Defintely not. Their purpose and motive is quite obvious, to indulge in their favourite pastime - Hindu bashing.

Let us put aside this unending cacophony for a while and try to analyse the Vedic perspective on the position and status of men and women in human society.

Vedas about men and women and the spiritual goal

In Bhagavad Gita 2.13, Lord Krishna informs us that we are neither man nor woman but we are actually souls. As a soul presently we are occupying a man’s body or may be a woman’s body. In the next life a man can become a woman and a woman a man. However scripture not just tell us to forego bodily designation but asks us to get out of this cycle of repeated birth and death and attain liberation by entering into the spiritual kingdom where life is eternal and there is no death and disease.  To become eligible to enter the spiritual kingdom it is mandatory that we eschew all our material desires of worldly positions and possessions and along with this it is required that we give up the attraction for opposite sex. Because as long as a man is attracted towards woman or a woman is attracted towards a man there is no possibility of liberation. And this is why Vedas recommend 4 ashrams – brahmacharya, grihasta, vanaprastha and sannyas. Suppose that we live for hundred years, then for 25 years we should be in a brahmachari life wherein strict vow of celibacy is observed, next 25 years we should spend in grihasta ashram wherein a brahmachari if he so desires he can enter into a householder life, after 50 years both husband and wife is supposed to enter into vanaprasta ashram where both husband and wife dedicate their life completely in practicing spiritual life and they do not have any physical relationship between them and finally there is sannyasa ashram where both men and women decide to completely dedicate their life in the service of the Lord and just want to make sure that neither of them becomes a cause of bondage to each other in this material world. This material world is temporary and all relationship of this world is temporary, our eternal relationship is only with the supreme Lord and so we have to get detached from this temporary relationship and develop ever- lasting permanent relationship with the Supreme Lord.  Vedas focus on this aspect of life and continuously asks all humans to adhere to it.

The scriptures does not discriminate between men and women but in fact give various methodologies and processes by which both – men and women – develop love for the Supreme Lord and thus attain liberation from this ephemeral world. And this is why there are certain rules for men and also for women. 

Women rishis

In fact during the Vedic period there were even women rishis such as Romasha, Gargi, Maitreyi, Apala, Aditi and others. And few hundred years back we had great women devotees of the Lord - Mira Bai, Sri Gangamata Goswamini, Sri Jahnava Mata, Sri Sita Thakurani etc. These women rishis were well versed in Vedas. The 126^th hymn of the first book of Rig Veda was revealed to Romasha, a woman.

Women are also given an opportunity for deity worship, and this can be seen in ISKCON temples all over the world. In Iskcon temples, the women devotees also give discourse on literatures like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam and are accorded equal right to practice spiritual life just like men.

Now let us gloss through few of the statements of Vedas on women.

           Bhishma to Yuddhisthira: "O ruler of the earth the lineage in which daughters and the daughters-in-law are saddened by ill treatment, that lineage is destroyed. When out of their grief these women curse these households, such households lose their charm, prosperity and happiness." (Mahabharata, Anushashanparva, 12.14)

•                              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) 

And there are many such statements in the sacred book about women. So where is the discrimination against women?

Those who are genuine and open minded, when they read the sacred Vedas then without doubt comes to the conclusion that Vedas do not discriminate against men or women. The Supreme Lord is our father and Vedas are our mother. So how can a loving and caring father and mother discriminate against their own children? 

If God created both – men and women – then why does he discriminate between them?  Few activists supported by left liberal pseudo secular activists raise this question frequently. The recent controversy is about the right of women to enter the Shani temple in Maharashtra. It is not that the women are not allowed to enter the Shani temple; it is in the sanctum sanctorum where they are not allowed.  Out of several thousand of temples in India, in few of the temples, may be couple or at the most less than half a dozen, where they are not allowed. And the restriction isn’t whimsically there is a logic given behind that. And there are some temples where men are not allowed such as in Linga Bhairavi.

Why the outrage?

Is it that the activists who desperately want to enter the temple and their pseudo secular supporters have developed deep love for the demigod Shani. Defintely not. Their purpose and motive is quite obvious, to indulge in their favourite pastime - Hindu bashing.

Let us put aside this unending cacophony for a while and try to analyse the Vedic perspective on the position and status of men and women in human society.

Vedas about men and women and the spiritual goal

In Bhagavad Gita 2.13, Lord Krishna informs us that we are neither man nor woman but we are actually souls. As a soul presently we are occupying a man’s body or may be a woman’s body. In the next life a man can become a woman and a woman a man. However scripture not just tell us to forego bodily designation but asks us to get out of this cycle of repeated birth and death and attain liberation by entering into the spiritual kingdom where life is eternal and there is no death and disease.  To become eligible to enter the spiritual kingdom it is mandatory that we eschew all our material desires of worldly positions and possessions and along with this it is required that we give up the attraction for opposite sex. Because as long as a man is attracted towards woman or a woman is attracted towards a man there is no possibility of liberation. And this is why Vedas recommend 4 ashrams – brahmacharya, grihasta, vanaprastha and sannyas. Suppose that we live for hundred years, then for 25 years we should be in a brahmachari life wherein strict vow of celibacy is observed, next 25 years we should spend in grihasta ashram wherein a brahmachari if he so desires he can enter into a householder life, after 50 years both husband and wife is supposed to enter into vanaprasta ashram where both husband and wife dedicate their life completely in practicing spiritual life and they do not have any physical relationship between them and finally there is sannyasa ashram where both men and women decide to completely dedicate their life in the service of the Lord and just want to make sure that neither of them becomes a cause of bondage to each other in this material world. This material world is temporary and all relationship of this world is temporary, our eternal relationship is only with the supreme Lord and so we have to get detached from this temporary relationship and develop ever- lasting permanent relationship with the Supreme Lord.  Vedas focus on this aspect of life and continuously asks all humans to adhere to it.

The scriptures does not discriminate between men and women but in fact give various methodologies and processes by which both – men and women – develop love for the Supreme Lord and thus attain liberation from this ephemeral world. And this is why there are certain rules for men and also for women. 

Women rishis

In fact during the Vedic period there were even women rishis such as Romasha, Gargi, Maitreyi, Apala, Aditi and others. And few hundred years back we had great women devotees of the Lord - Mira Bai, Sri Gangamata Goswamini, Sri Jahnava Mata, Sri Sita Thakurani etc. These women rishis were well versed in Vedas. The 126^th hymn of the first book of Rig Veda was revealed to Romasha, a woman.

Women are also given an opportunity for deity worship, and this can be seen in ISKCON temples all over the world. In Iskcon temples, the women devotees also give discourse on literatures like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam and are accorded equal right to practice spiritual life just like men.

Now let us gloss through few of the statements of Vedas on women.

•     Bhishma to Yuddhisthira: "O ruler of the earth the lineage in which daughters and the daughters-in-law are saddened by ill treatment, that lineage is destroyed. When out of their grief these women curse these households, such households lose their charm, prosperity and happiness." (Mahabharata, Anushashanparva, 12.14)

•     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) 

And there are many such statements in the sacred book about women. So where is the discrimination against women?

Those who are genuine and open minded, when they read the sacred Vedas then without doubt comes to the conclusion that Vedas do not discriminate against men or women. The Supreme Lord is our father and Vedas are our mother. So how can a loving and caring father and mother discriminate against their own children? 

Only For Humans

At the battlefield of Kurushetra, Arjuna put aside his weapons and with tears in his eyes looked at Krishna expecting compassion. But in return he got chastisement. Tears of sorrow did not impress Krishna but rather it displeased him. If a child refuses to appear in an exam then his mother won’t be sympathetic although her child may give several reasons for not giving the exam. Mother being the best well -wisher of her child knows how important exam is for her child’s career.

Krishna being the best friend of Arjuna expected him to exhibit exemplary qualities befitting a great personality. Tears of lamentation, moroseness and reluctance to do once ordained duty isn’t appreciated by Krishna. These are the qualities of people in mode of ignorance. And devotees are expected to come to mode of goodness which is characterised by enthusiasm, hard work, patience and perseverance. Off course devotees of the Lord do their duties keeping Lord in the centre so they rise above goodness. 

The celebrated devotees of the Lord are not those who gave up their responsibilities whimsically but are those who were highly dedicated and devoted in their duties. Victory or defeat never bothered them; they were just driven with a service attitude to please the Lord. Jatayu fought ferociously but lost the battle with Ravana but won the heart of Lord Rama.

Arjuna’s tears were wiped by Krishna’s grace and he ultimately won the battle for Krishna. Yes in our life too challenges will come bringing tears in our eyes but we should not get torn apart by any unpleasant circumstances. If we take shelter of Gita’s wisdom words then we will find solution to our problems and get tremendous strength to do our duty with grit and enthusiasm. We too will then become competent enough to do something wonderful in this world to please Krishna. 

http://krishnamagic.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/let-not-tears-torment-us.html

http://krishnamagic.blogspot.co.uk/

Imagine if a message suddenly flashes on the sky: “Due to a technical fault the supply of oxygen will remain unavailable for some time all over the world. Next update about the issue in another hour”. What would happen to us? There won’t be just utter chaos but soon the earth will become a graveyard.  Not even vultures and jackals would be alive to feast on the dead bodies. But has it ever happened? Never.  Can it happen in future? Sceptics and agnostics may say, “Yes”.  But it has never happened in millions of years and so will never happen ever because Lord’s creation is flawless and his day to day management is perfect. 

With a desire to become a creator like God and be worshipped as God we try to make faultless machines but our product always have certain limitations and need continuous improvement.  Rockets sent by us in the space survive only for few years. But the planets created at the time of creation are still smartly dancing along the designated trajectory not losing its path even by an inch. Quite often man tries to belittle God.  Titanic was created to prove that man can defy God.  It was advertised as the unsinkable ship.  “Even God cannot sink it”, the makers claimed. But their ego did not last long and the ship sank.  Of course God did not have to personally come to sink the ship, the material nature is sufficient to crush the ego of man. 

It’s true that we do possess certain remarkable qualities and so we can also do marvellous deeds. But our design, development and execution have limitations because our knowledge isn’t unlimited. Nature is supremely perfect because she works under the guidance of the Supreme Lord. She provides us all the necessities of life and the supply is never discontinued unless we mess with it. Before we started polluting the river, the river gave us abundant pure drinking water. Earth gave plentiful grains till the time we had not started injecting her with poisonous chemical fertilizers. Cows happily gave and still long to give nutritious milk but still we don’t hesitate to kill her.  Rain came on time making sure that there is no flood or famine. Nature is our mother and a mother is the best well – wisher of her child. Nature punishes us not because she likes to do so but because she is forced to do so.  To live happily we have to be in harmony with nature. We are the makers of our own destiny. If we choose the path given by God then we open the floodgates of happiness else we march towards disaster.

In fact in Gita 3.10 Krishna explains that if we all live as per the laws of nature as prescribed in Vedic books then we can live peacefully and happily in this world.  We won’t be deprived of anything, everything will be provided to us.  We just have to accept it, respect it and live in harmony with it.

(source of pic: http://gaudiyahistory.com)

Bilvamangala  Thakura was a wealthy south Indian Brahmin and belonged to a cultured family. But he got attracted to a prostitute named Cintamani.  The attraction soon became attachment. And as it happens when we get attached to worldly enjoyment we lose our intelligence and subsequently our dignity. The fire of lust was so intense that he was not at all moved when his father died; in fact standing near the pyre of his father he was engrossed in the thought of Cintamani. The body of his dead father did not bring tears to his eyes but his eyes were eager to see the physical beauty of the lady.

Overwhelmed with the desire to be with her he ran from the funeral pyre of his father towards her house. Cintamani lived on the other side of the river.  That day was full of grief; thunderstorm, lightening and heavy rain had created chaos and had over flooded the river. Determined Bilvamangala  Thakura hurriedly came near the bank of the river and asked the boatmen to ferry him across the river. The boatmen fearing for their life refused to take him in spite of the lure of money. But just like a moth get attracted to the deadly fire and gets burned ultimately, similarly Bilvamangala  Thakura jumped into the deadly river risking his life.  Struggling for his life in the river, he got hold of a floating object and desperately grabbed it. It was a putrefied dead body of a person. Using it as a support he successfully crossed the river.

 Cintamani’s house was locked, so he decided to climb the wall and enter through the window. He saw a rope hanging on the wall, it wasn’t a rope it was a snake. Blinded by lust, he grabbed it and reached to the window and jumped through it falling on Cintamin’s feet. He had succeeded in his mission to be with his beloved on that dreadful night.  

Seeing an uninvited guest jumping through the window in such an hour of the night Cintamani was frightened. Bilvamangala  Thakura had hoped that seeing him she will be happy but in fact the lady was disgusted seeing a stinking lusty man who had come to meet her on the day when his father had died. Rebuking him she said, “What a shame that you have so much attraction for my physical body which is made of flesh, bones, blood, mucus, stool and other such obnoxious substances. This body rots every day and ultimately becomes food for the worms.  Your attraction for this temporary body is not going to do any good to you. Instead if you have the same attachment for Krishna then your life would be successful; it will deliver you from all the miseries of material existence and give you an opportunity to join Krishna in his eternal abode thus giving you eternal happiness.

Being rebuked, humiliated and thrown out from her house, he came to his senses. He understood the futility of attachment for flesh which weakens ones heart. He took a decision to devote his life to Krishna and take shelter of his lotus feet.  Remembering and chanting the names of the Supreme Lord he marched towards Vrindavan. But as it is said that old habits die hard and sinful tendencies are not easy to give up. 

Bilvamangala Thakura’s weakness was lust and so Maya attacked him again in the form of a woman.  On his way to Vrindavan, he saw a woman and got captivated by her beauty. Shackled by lust he followed her to her house.  He knocked at the door; a very sober man came out.  Seeing a guest donning a devotee’s attire pleased him, he thought his guest to be a chaste devotee of the Lord and so he wanted to serve him at any cost. When the pious and gentle man inquired from him as how can he serve him, Bilvamangala  Thakura took a promise from him that he would fulfil his desire. Eager to serve a devotee of the Lord he gave his word but to his utter shock, disbelief and dismay Bilvamangala  Thakura asked him to leave him alone with his wife.  Bound by his words and with tears in his eyes he told his wife about the nefarious proposal of his guest disguised as a devotee. Bilvamangala  was left alone in the room with the lady. With a choking voice, Bilvamangala said, “Mother, can I have your hairpin.” He took the hairpin and to the lady’s utter shock, he immediately gouged both his eyes using the hairpin.   Falling at the feet of the lady and her husband, he begged for forgiveness.   He plucked his eyes to make sure that for the rest of his life he will never be seeing and nor getting enticed towards any form of opposite sex.

Bilvamangala  Thakura was now although physically blind but was spiritually awakened. Life’s experience had taught him that lust can never be satiated but this disease aggravates as soon as one makes an endeavour to give in to lusty desires and thoughts. From there he went to Vrindavan without getting distracted anymore. He had become so sincere in his devotion that life’s each moment he used in worshipping the Supreme Lord. His genuine devotion attracted Krishna. In fact Krishna as a cowherd boy would come to meet him regularly carrying a glass of milk which he would give to him. Bilvamangala  Thakura did not know that the Supreme Lord was personally coming to see him. They both would speak with each other for hours. Once when Krishna played his flute Bilvamangala  Thakura was captivated by it and he wanted to embrace Krishna. Krishna playfully escaped his embrace. The great devotee of the Lord said you can escape from my hold but not from my heart. Once Bilvamangala  Thakura’s heart was flooded with lusty desires but with his determined devotion he had cleansed his heart and had now enthroned Krishna in his heart.

Although his past wasn’t glorious but Krishna wasn’t bothered about his previous background. In this world once a person is caught doing something abominable he is condemned and abandoned by all forever. But Krishna is magnanimous and forgiving and is least interested in unearthing our previous sins. As soon as he sees that our intentions are pure and we are genuinely striving to purify our life he is eager to accept us and take us back to the spiritual world.  

In Gita 16.21 and 16.22, Krishna tells that lust is a gateway to hell and those who can escape from it attains Supreme Destination. Lust binds us to this material world but love for the Lord liberates us. Bilvamangala  Thakura was able to achieve Krishna only after his heart got thoroughly cleansed of all lusty desires. So to attain love of Krishna it is essential that we guard ourselves against the onslaught of lust and do not succumb to it.

Source: krishnamagic.blogspot.in.

How many of us remember our days in our mother’s womb?   Although we spent 9 months there but we remember nothing. How many of us can recollect each and every moment of our life which we have spent till now? Of course we can remember in bits and pieces but not in entirety.  In fact if we retrospect our life’s spent moments then it will pass in a flash. What does it convey? That the moment which is very precious to us now will lose its relevance in future and we will forget it.  Not that we forget many incidents of this life but the Vedic books tells us that we have forgotten many lives which we have lived here in different forms and in different species.  This is why when Arjuna, at the onset of the Mahabharata war, bemoans that his relatives will die then Krishna reminds him that as soul all living beings are eternal and so they will never die. When a soul loses its current bodily dress made of flesh then according to his karma he gets a new dress made of flesh.  This repeated cycle of birth and death (soul getting new bodies) continues as long as we are in this world and here we have to work very hard for survival.

Krishna, the all good benevolent God does not like to see us in this precarious situation so he comes in this world with a solution which can eliminate all our sufferings for ever.  One of the reasons for Krishna’s appearance is that he comes to annihilate the miscreants but most importantly he appears in this mortal world to disseminate the information about the secret of eternal happiness.  He being the supreme controller, it is not very difficult for him to extricate the world from unworthy beings and he may accomplish it without descending in this world. But just like a caring father who can chat with his child who is in a hostel on skype where he can hear and see him but he still loves to go and meet his child and tries his best to make life comfortable for him, similarly Krishna comes in this world to meet us, his children, and invite us back to the spiritual world which is free from all sufferings – there is no death, no disease, no mental and physical suffering.

The ephemeral pleasure of this mortal world never satiates our heart.  Moreover since our body deteriorates daily so our capacity to enjoy this world also diminishes day by day.  This is why Krishna tells us not to be so obsessed with the worldly happiness and distress but to focus on permanent salvation.  And for this, we can make the spiritual world our eternal home where happiness is everlasting. Krishna in Gita says that those who become part of his spiritual kingdom never come back to this material world, “Those who reach it never return to this material world” (Bhagavad Gita 15.6). This is the promise of Krishna, whom the Vedic books declare as the Supreme God - Krishna tu bhagavan svayam (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.28)

So why let go this wonderful opportunity. We should in fact utilize each and every moment of our life to purify our existence so that we gain the eligibility to become part of Krishna’s abode.  On Krishna’s auspicious appearance day we can make a vow to bring Krishna in our life.  And the best way to do is to start chanting sincerely the Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.  We should not waste our time waiting for the right opportunity to start practicing devotional life because in this world there won’t be any perfect moment, we will always find ourselves busy in something or deprived of something.  For e.g. a teenager has lots of time, lots of energy but hardly any money. A youth has money, energy but no time. And an old person has time and money but no energy. We will never find a favourable time to do the right thing.  A boatman does not always wait for the wind to blow in a particular direction; instead he channelizes the energy of the wind to reach his desired destination. Similarly we can use any opportunity to spiritualize our life.  Krishna’s invitation to return to his kingdom needs our immediate attention. In fact if we have a strong desire to spend rest of our life with Krishna then he promises that he will give us the know-how by which we can attain him - To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me (Bhagavad Gita 10.10)

(source: http://krishnamagic.blogspot.co.uk/)

The recent bearish market has caused lots of heartburns, thousands of investors have lost huge sums of money in stock markets in just few hours and thousands are having sleepless nights because they do not know what may happen the next day. When the Sensex plunges, it dashes hopes of a promising tomorrow.  Future, which few moments back appeared bright suddenly becomes unstable and dark.

Hope of better tomorrow drives people to deposit their money in schemes which claim to multiply our money manifold in short span of time but it also forewarns that our investment is “subject to market risk” and we should be ready even for the losses. But the financial advisors asks us to not look at the dark side, many success stories are put forth in front of us and we finally are convinced that we should not get bogged down with negative sentiments. Of course one of the most important reasons why we invest in stocks is because we cannot resist the temptation of multiplying our fortune quickly. And we finally take the plunge thus intertwining our life’s happy and sad moments with the Sensitive Index’s (Sensex) graph, which by nature sometime goes up and sometimes comes down.

Dharma (religiosity), artha (economic development), kama (sense gratification) and moksha (liberation) are the four goals of family life. So for a householder financial stability is a necessity. Head of the family has to make sure that his family members have all the basic necessities of life.  So investing money for better return isn’t wrong. However if one gets possessed by the desire for quick exponential profit then one is entering into a danger zone. Just like a gambler who after tasting few successes continues playing till the day when lady luck stops smiling on him, similarly greedy investors continue taking risk till he becomes bankrupt and ruined.  A person invested in stocks and soon his money multiplied by 25 times, his Rs 3 lakh became Rs 75 lakh. His family members requested him to soon encash all the profit but with a desire for more he continued investing but sadly the stock suddenly crashed wiping out his entire gain.

Gita advises us to shun greed because it is gateway to hell (Bhagavad Gita 16.21) and asks us to embrace simplicity, a godly quality. It is also verily said that Lord has provided sufficient for our need but not for our greed. We have heard the story of a person who got a goose who gave a golden egg daily. The person was initially happy to have one golden egg a day but soon greed overpowered him and to get all the golden eggs in one shot he cut open the stomach of the bird.  He did not find any gold mine there, even the innocent bird died ruining his chance of having a golden egg daily. 

So while planning for our financial goal we should keep greed and impatience aside, we should choose means which is just, legitimate and is not too risky. We should not unnecessarily put our life in anxiety by parking our money in volatile markets. Instead we can choose such stocks and schemes after consulting genuine advisors where though profit may not be exponential but has strong base and have good track records of performance spanning several years. There are also schemes, such as government schemes, with almost negligible risk where profit is moderate, we can choose those too.  Also we should not be recklessly spending money but should try to simplify our life so that we can save more for the future. It is also better to give up the mindset of amassing too much. In fact money should not be only used for our own aggrandizement but it should also be used to serve the Lord and share it with others in the form of charity (Gita 18.5).

Most importantly, life is not about just making money because even if we succeed in accumulating lots of wealth, we will be leaving everything behind here when we embark on a new destination at the end of our life. This is why sages and seers have advised us to plan our life in a way so that not just our present is pleasurable but our future life is also secure and happy. We can accomplish such a life if we do all our work by keeping Krishna in the centre - In all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me (Bhagavad Gita 18.57).

So let us not jeopardise our life by linking it to the ups and downs of the sensitive index (Sensex). For a better & bright tomorrow we should live life as per the guidelines given by Krishna in Gita.

(http://krishnamagic.blogspot.co.uk/)

Have we ever given any exam or even heard of it where the examinee is given the question and its answer beforehand lest he should not fail. Not just he is given the answer to the complex questions but even the solution is made so simple that the examinee does not have to undergo any mental or physical stress. Not just he is saved from the pain but even the process of preparation is made joyful. And to further compound the comfort of the student the examiner personally comes to teach him and even sends qualified tutors for personal guidance. Lest we start feeling that we are day dreaming of a utopian world we should take a ride on a time machine and travel around 500 years back to 1486 to Mayapur - the year when Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared on the earthly plane.

Then the whole society was mired in materialism. Confused about their goal of life almost all of them had either engrossed themselves in materialistic life forgetting religious principles or were using religion as a means to further their materialistic motives. That the purpose of life is to develop love of God they had almost forgotten. But soon the scene changed with the advent of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. People started giving up their materialistic desires and were just driven with a desire to develop pure love of God.

Life is preparation and death is final examination and we all have to compulsorily give that exam. All of us are aware about the inevitable death but many of us do not know the ultimate goal of human life and how to attain that goal. To remove the ignorance of all spiritually illiterate examinees he gave us the list of questions for which we should be bothered: Who am I?  Who is God? What is my relationship with God? What is my ultimate destination? He informed us that we are deathless spirit souls, parts and parcel of Supreme God, Krishna, currently confined in a temporary material body and the only purpose of our life is to revive our relationship with Krishna and return back to his abode where there is no death and no suffering.

He not just educated us about the final destination but he freely distributed to all the elixir of Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare - which is the best medicine for entire humanity in this age of Kali Yuga, the age of downfall. “…..although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha – mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.” Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.51. Scripture explains that people in Kali yuga are slow – minded, dull – witted, do not have inclination for spiritual life and so they suffer a lot. To salvage such forlorn souls Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who according to the Vedic literatures is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, came. “The Supreme Personality, Janardana, who is the object of the yogis' meditation, who saves the devotees from various sufferings & who is the master of all yogic practices, who is always full of divine transcendental ecstasy & bliss, will advent in His own divine form of Sri Caitanya”-Padma_Purana.

In spite of being the Supreme God, he played the role of a devotee teaching all with his personal example to chant with reverence, with deep love and without any ulterior motive.

Lord Caitanya, the supreme examiner, the supreme saviour, came here to jog our conscience reminding us that being humans we should live like humans and should not lead a whimsical life like an animal who just bother about sleep, sex, security and sustenance.  Providing solutions to all our problems he gave us a simple solution for salvation i.e. to chant the names of Krishna with sincerity and assured us of a ticket to return back to the spiritual world. Why to chant? Because chanting cleanses the heart of all material impurities and liberates us from the vicious cycle of birth and death. Just like a father who holds the finger of his child teaching him how to walk he too chanted, sang and danced with the devotees showcasing how to practically perform devotion. He told all to chant sincerely, sing melodiously, dance rhythmically and take prasad (sanctified vegetarian food) profusely.

For material success one needs to put in hard labour. And hard work accompanied with uncertainty always breeds insecurity. However the process of devotion taught to us by Lord Caitanya is so simple, so sublime, so sweet and so joyful that while treading the path of devotion there is no negative emotion. When we chant the holy names of Krishna on beads then each bead becomes a stepping stone to reach Krishna. In fact it is the rarest and an extremely extraordinary and unparalleled gift given to us by Lord Caitanya.

Let us abide by his guidelines and get out of this world to be with him. In that spiritual world we will not be bound by our mortal covering. There death does not exist and bliss never ceases to exist.

Lord Rama’s associates weren’t happy to see Vibhishana when he came to seek shelter of Lord Rama. They thought that Vibhishana being the brother of Ravana, an enemy of Lord Rama, cannot be trusted. But to everyone’s utter surprise they found that Lord Rama happily welcomed Vibhishana and he did not even doubt the motive of Vibhishana. Lord Rama went on to declare that even if Ravana comes to his door then he would happily embrace him. This is why Lord Rama is called very merciful. Being the Supreme Lord, all the living entities are his parts and parcels and in spite of us rejecting him or even going against him, he is always ready to forgive and forget all our previous mistakes and tonnes of sins which we have committed. He does not carry any grudges against us and nor is he vengeful. He always wants to see us happy and tries his best to do what is best for our spiritual life. Our tinniest of endeavour attracts him. During the construction of Rama Setu, all the monkey warriors were doing phenomenal job but there was a little squirrel who was also trying his best to serve the Lord. But due to his insignificant body size he was only able to move a small speck of stone. But Lord Rama appreciated the effort of the squirrel and praised his work.

So on this auspicious occasion of Ramnavmi, the appearance day of Lord Rama, let us give up all our selfish motives and selfish desires and welcome Lord Rama. Let us take a pledge in our life to do at least something for the pleasure of Lord Rama, like the tiny little squirrel. Our effort will never go in vain and soon we will find the presence of Lord Rama within our heart, it will bring inexplicable joy in our dry life.  

Regulation is the key to success. If we aren’t regulated then our life isn’t better than the animals. Whimsical living isn’t appreciated in the scriptures. ‘Regulate’ means to control things with the help of rules. For e.g. traffic signal regulates traffic and when it breaks then there is chaos on the roads. On any product manual the rules are emphatically emphasised, the optimum temperature or pressure on which the product will give the best output is boldly illustrated. If there is no regulation or no rules then things go haywire.

Our life too needs regulation if we want to succeed. Even for material success a somewhat balanced life is required. And if our aim is to attain the supreme God then it is very much imperative that our life should be based on the guidelines of the scriptures. Our mind and body too needs to be regulated for efficient functioning. Krishna, the architect of our body, explicitly mentions in Gita (6.16,6.17) the need for leading a life of regulation. He advises us not to eat too much or too little, sleep too much or not sleep at all and asks us to maintain balance in work and in recreation. Contrast this with the life of an animal. Their senses are totally unregulated and they act as per their whims. Eating, sleeping, mating they can do anytime and anywhere. If we too have similar tendencies then unfortunately we too are living an animalistic life and are misusing the human life which we have got. However if we are able to abide by the principles elucidated by Krishna then we would be able to mitigate material pains, live happily and can successfully proceed towards spiritual perfection.

Bhagavad – Gita 6.16: There is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough.

If suppose that someone lights a fire and then immediately pours water on it, we would be surprised by such behaviour. But if a person continues doing the same thing again and again then we would be completely shocked by this nonsensical behaviour.

Practicing devotional life but continuing with sense gratification is also a crazy behaviour. Devotional life is like burning fire and getting engrossed into sensual pleasure is like pouring water on the fire. Many a times we want to carry on with sense gratification along with practicing devotional life. But this dual life is not going to bring us any good result. If we are really serious about achieving God then we should endeavour hard to give up all our non devotional attachment. It is not just important to physically restrain ourselves from indulging in sensual pleasure but it is equally important that we completely give up the desire for sense gratification (Bhagavad Gits 6.2).

We need to strive to develop taste for spiritual life else giving up our deep attachment for this material world will become too difficult. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is by dovetailing all our senses in satisfying the Lord. Eyes can be engaged in seeing the beautiful form of the Lord, ears for hearing the beautiful activities and pastimes of the Supreme Lord, tongue in tasting the prasad and in glorifying the Lord and so on. Whatever we look for in the material world is also there in the spiritual life. The only difference is that in the spiritual life we do all activities to satisfy the Lord which in turn fills our heart with deep satisfaction and joy. Whereas if we try to satisfy our senses with material means then it is not going to give us any lasting pleasure and will also take us away from Krishna. We have an opportunity to choose our future – we can accept Krishna’s wisdom words or we can continue acting as per our whimsical desires. The first one will take us to Krishna and the 2^nd one will keep us back in this world. Once we reach to Krishna then we can be assured of eternal blissful life, if not then we can continue living in this filthy world.

Bhagavad – Gita 6.2: What is called renunciation you should know to be the same as yoga, or linking oneself with the Supreme, O son of Pandu, for one can never become a yogi unless he renounces the desire for sense gratification.

Once a woman in utter distress approached Lord Buddha. Her son had died and she wanted Buddha to bring her son back to life. The compassionate Buddha asked her to go to each and every household of the village and inquire if there is any house in which no one has ever died. If she could find such a house then he promised that he would give her son a new life. The woman frantically ran to the village in search of such a house. She knocked at each door but to her dismay she could not find any such house where no one had ever died. Every householder had seen death in their family. The woman then came to her senses and understood that those who are born are destined to die.

Bhagavad Gita 2.27 explains this reality, “One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again.”

An old man in State Bank of India was inquiring about car loan. The agent asked, “For whom you want the car?” “It’s for me”, the old man said. “And what’s your age sir?”, the agent again asked.  “It’s 76!” I don’t know whether he got the loan or not. Or whether his desire (or need) to buy a car was right or not. But one thought which immediately struck me was that will there be a day in my life when all my desires (of course material) will cease to end.  Will there be a day when I will not want any worldly things, I will completely feel satisfied and be at total peace?

Desires are endless, the moment one gets fulfilled, immediately the other pops up. In school I wanted the best bicycle. In college the best bike. Now the best car. In future something else will fascinate me. Many a times our desires are not for our basic needs, but it is because of social pressure or a longing to prove our worth to others. My car should be bigger than that of my neighbors, my Smartphone should be completely different than that of my friends, my television set should make people go crazy and so on. Advertisements of today are also tailor made to titillate our ego. Ads like “Neighbors envy owners pride” or “Designed for envy” try to entice people to go on reckless shopping spree.

We accumulate many things which we may not even need; it turns out to be a total wastage of money.  Desires are umpteen and the craving to fulfill it keeps on torturing us every moment. Many think that with age desires keeps on dwindling. But I don’t think it really happens. With age the form of the desires changes but not the yearning.  If we want to lead a peaceful life then it is imperative for us to get rid of our insatiable desires right now. Even Krishna speaks about the importance of giving up the desires in Bhagavad Gita 2.70. And he does not specify any age limit for this.

Bhagavad Gita 2.70: A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires – that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still – can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.

A friend of mine has a beautiful daughter who is very young. By her innocent antics, she entertains all. Once she went in front of the picture of Radha and Krishna and reverentially folded her hands in front of the Lord. She stood there for few minutes. All of us were pleasantly amused, her mother was very excited. She embraced the little child and then said something which was although not shocking but saddening. Taking the little girl on the lap, she instructed her in a serious tone, “Always pray to Krishna so that He makes you an IAS officer. Do not pray to him for any other thing. This should be the only prayer throughout your life till you achieve your coveted goal.”

Such demands from God are not uncommon. People mostly knock at the doors of God with their wish list and ask him to fulfil all of them. It’s just like the way we place our order to a waiter in a restaurant.  As the waiter is obliged to bring everything which we had asked him for, similarly we want that God should also be on his toes to fulfil all our desires. And the same thing we teach to the younger generation.  

Why should we pray to God for material positions and possessions? And whenever we stand in front of God then why should we always ask for something from him.  Why don’t we go in front of him to simply share our feelings with him, to express our love, to thank him for all the beautiful things he has given to us? God being our maintainer and sustainer takes care of all our basic necessities. Before a child is born, he arranges milk for the child. He gives us food, air, oxygen to breathe, water and everything which is required in our life. It is other thing that we humans never cared for these invaluable gifts and exploited the natural resources.  God always takes care of all our needs.

How would a father or a mother feel, if their child always comes to him only to ask for something. Give me money, buy me a bike, a laptop, an iPad, a fancy mobile, a trendy dress etc. And once the demand is fulfilled he turns his back towards his parents. But if the demands aren’t met then the child starts accusing the parents for callousness. How much pain it would cause to the caring mother and father? But if the child simply embraces them with love then how much joy the parents would experience.

Do we ever think that how God, our father, would be feeling when we go in front of him with our demand list. Holy books and holy men have taught us what to ask and what not to ask from God. In Sistastakam prayer, Lord Chaitanya teaches us how to pray to God: “O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want your causeless devotional service birth after birth.”   This is how we should approach God – not for any worldly things but to selflessly serve and offer our love to him.