Drops of Nectar

Normally, whenever I am fortunate enough to be in the association of Maharaj, I would try as far as possible to jot down nice instructions of his or interesting incidents revolving around him. They definitely serve as important landmarks to guide us in our faltering spiritual odyssey. No doubt the imprints of these instructions and incidents are of an everlasting nature but in this age we are “blessed” with short-lived memories and time has the undesirable potency of being able to wipe away the memories of these eternal and sweet moments. So it would be judicious to pen them down quickly when they are fresh in our minds. Certainly, I have not been very meticulous or successful in these attempts but from what little I have garnered in the past decade that I have come to know Maharaj, as a puny contribution I have strung together and am presenting herein a few of these gems.

The Superiority of The Tract of Bharatvarsha
If my memory serves me correctly, I think this took place during Maharaj’s second visit to Singapore after he took sannyas. We had just received Maharaj in the arrival hall when he stood gazing upon the sparkling clean floor of our renowned airport and with his endearing eyes wide open and his eyebrows raised high, he remarked “Oh!! So very clean!!” And in the same breath, looking at us benignly he quipped, “But you know a dirty India is far far better than a clean Singapore!!” - He then broke into his trademark oceanic smile that seemed to light up the entire airport before sauntering forward gingerly!! Needless to say he completely floored the few of us who were fortunate enough to be there, hovering around him with this very witty remark!!

The Hallmark of A True Devotee
For those who might be prescribing to the mistaken notion that being a true devotee of Krsna means to be transferred to an esoteric dimension of sorts, here is what Maharaj has to simply say as to what embodies the true spirit of devotion to Krsna: “When one truly becomes a devotee of Krsna, the first symptom that he exhibits is that he keeps himself happy ALWAYS in all circumstances!! There should be never mental anguish and agitations. Worries, anxieties, frustrations, sadness, despondency, melancholy and words to such effect do not exist in the dictionary of a devotee!! He is so blissfully joyful and radiates so much of aura that you have to wear sunglasses to be able to see him!!”

The 3 Cs of a Devotee
Nowadays there is so much of harping on the 5 Cs pertaining to materialistic living. But Maharaj belonging to the spiritual paradigm enumerates the following 3 Cs that a devotee cultivates earnestly within himself: A devotee is COOL, CALM and COMPOSED always!! And for those who have been in the association of Maharaj can certainly vouch for the fact that he never loses his composure even in the face of difficulties and adversities. His super cool and deeply thoughtful nature blended with a good sense of humour and wit is truly amazing and overwhelming.

Devotional Service is Easy But Yet Difficult!
Maharaj once mentioned, “To become a devotee is easy since Krsna is all-attractive. But to maintain being a devotee is difficult and it is most difficult to quit this body as a true devotee. Life is bound to bounce up and down.. so please tolerate and be humble in all endeavors.”

Krsna, The Meticulous Planner
Once a few of us were sitting with Maharaj atop a small cliff overlooking the sea, when Maharaj motioned towards the huge waves at a distance that were approaching the shores with great force but broke their momentum along the way to die off innocuously once hitting the shores. Then he posed this question. So who is stopping the thrust of these waves at the shores? - Seeing no response forthcoming he delineated - The ocean is so huge and produces powerful waves but Krsna stops them at the shores from causing further destruction. Just see how meticulously Krsna arranges and manages the affairs of this material world. Likewise, a devotee also imbibes and assimilates this trait and manages his duties expertly. A devotee acquires and maintains his belongings in a manageable and commonsensical manner and this has to begin right from his razor kit in that he disposes his unwanted razor blades, keeping in possession those blades he needs to use only. Never too much and never too little is the philosophy a devotee adheres to.

Sloka for Meditation
To round off this session, the following is a nice verse Maharaj once went through. This is from Vidura Niti, spoken by Vidura.

satam vihaaya bhoktavyam
sahasram vihaaya snatavyam

laksam vihaaya daatavyam
kotim tyaktva harim bhajet
Leave a hundred of engagements and take your prasadam. Leave a thousand of engagements and take your shower or bath. Leave a hundred thousand engagements and perform charity. And leave a million engagements and perform devotional service i.e., surrender to Lord Sri Krsna with full heart!!

- Samanjas das, Singapore.

Chant,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna

Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama

Hare Hare

and be happy.