Be a SAGE

(Compiled from notes on lectures of H. H. Mahavishnu Goswami)

It was a very spiritually uplifting experience to participate in the Dwaraka Ratha yatra on 26.01.05 and the Rajkot Rath yathra on 28.01.05. The causeless mercy of their Lordships Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish and Sri Sri Radha-Neelmadhav, the blessings of H.H. Mahavisnu Goswami Maharaja and the untiring, sincere loving efforts of the devotees made the yatras really successful.

The ongoing theme of the messages given by Maharaja was on the practical ways of how not to slip into the material modes. Maharaja said that everyone of us want to become vaishnavas. But again and again we are being pulled back into the modes and this is the practical problem faced by every one of us. The big question is how to avoid slipping into the modes. Here I am summarizing the various instructions given by Maharaja to achieve this.

1. Carrying out our duty: In Kali yuga everyone is engaged in one or the other duty so that we can maintain ourselves. This duty has to be carried out with honesty and purity. The best way to get rid of work is to do it perfectly. In that way, we can go to Krishna the rest of the time with a peaceful mind.

2. Avoiding criticism: We should never let loose our tongue or otherwise we will be destroyed. 75% of our time is being spent on criticising others and this way our vital energy is lost. This vital energy should be saved so that we can execute our devotional service with full force. We should not enjoy unnecessary happiness in the lower modes.

3. Leave the mental platform: Devotional service is completely independent of the obnoxious mind. So we should completely leave the mental platform.

4. Don't make saadhana a ritual: We should neither neglect our saadhana nor make it a ritual. In our heart there should be no place for anything other than Krishna. Then sanity will prevail. Sanity and full Krishna consciousness go hand in hand.

5. Never be lazy: Lethargy and devotional service go ill together. Prabhupada's stick is always warning us, "How many more births you want to take? How many more deaths you want to face?" There is so much to be done and we should have busy engagement serving Krishna. If we are not following this, then our lives become a heavy burden on us filled with boredom.

6. Be fiery in devotional service: If at any point of time we feel weak in devotional service, we should take the shelter of Srila Prabhupada very sincerely. He has given us a lot of spiritual infrastructure in the form of so many Vedic literatures, conversations, lectures and letters. Our lifetime is not enough to finish studying them.

7. Absorption in Krishna katha: Our lifestyle at home should change by complete absorption in the nectarean topics of Krishna. This way the younger generation is also saved.

8. Burning desire to preach: It is not enough if we are absorbed in Krishna consciousness. We should have a burning desire to help others by preaching. The more we preach, the more we are getting purified.

9. Understanding that everything is flickering: The following verse should be constantly ringing in our mind like a background music.

chalath chittham chalath vittham chalath jivana yauvanam
chalaachalam idam sarvam bhaktir yasya sa jivathi
"Our Mind is flickering. Our wealth is unsteady. Our own life and youth are only a passing phase. There is steadiness and eternity only in devotional service."

Ultimately in order to follow the above instructions and thus save ourselves from slipping into the lower modes we have to become a SAGE.

Be Simple
Austere
Grave (sober)
Energetic

If we become SAGE like this, then we can approach the greatest sage Srila Prabhupada, who is the reservoir of bliss and is like a running river purifying our existence (sattva samsuddhih).

Chant,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna

Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama

Hare Hare

and be happy.