Sunday, December 20, 2020

GITA-SHLOKA-3.36 AND 3.37- ONE IS IMPELLED TO SINFUL ACTS BY LUST TURNING TO WRATH WHICH IN TURN TURNS TO ILLUSION. BUT WHEN LUST AND WRATH ARE EMPLOYED IN KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS, THESE BECOME OUR FRIENDS INSTEAD OF OUR ENEMIES, 10th July

GITA-SHLOKA-3.36 AND 3.37- ONE IS IMPELLED TO SINFUL ACTS BY LUST TURNING TO WRATH WHICH IN TURN TURNS TO ILLUSION. BUT WHEN  LUST AND WRATH ARE EMPLOYED IN KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS, THESE BECOME OUR FRIENDS INSTEAD OF OUR ENEMIES 


Shloka 3.36

TRANSLATION
Arjuna said: O descendant of Vrsni, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?

PURPORT
A living entity, as part and parcel of the Supreme, is originally spiritual, pure, and free from all material contaminations.

Therefore, by nature he is not subjected to the sins of the material world.

But when he is in contact with the material nature, he acts in many sinful ways without hesitation, and sometimes even against his will.

As such, Arjuna's question to Krsna is very sanguine, as to the perverted nature of the living entities.

Although the living entity sometimes does not want to act in sin, he is still forced to act.

Sinful actions are not, however, impelled by the Supersoul within, but are due to another cause, as the Lord explains in the next verse.
Shloka 3.37

TRANSLATION
The Blessed Lord said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material modes of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring, sinful enemy of this world.

PURPORT
When a living entity comes in contact with the material creation, his eternal love for Krsna is transformed into lust, in association with the mode of passion. Or, in other words, the sense of love of God becomes transformed into lust, as milk in contact with sour tamarind is transformed into yogurt. 

Then again, when lust is unsatisfied, it turns into wrath; wrath is transformed into illusion, and illusion continues the material existence. Therefore, lust is the greatest enemy of the living entity, and it is lust only which induces the pure living entity to remain entangled in the material world. Wrath is the manifestation of the mode of ignorance; these modes exhibit themselves as wrath and other corollaries. 

If, therefore, the modes of passion, instead of being degraded into the modes of ignorance, are elevated to the modes of goodness by the prescribed method of living and acting, then one can be saved from the degradation of wrath by spiritual attachment.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead expanded Himself into many for His ever-increasing spiritual bliss, and the living entities are parts and parcels of this spiritual bliss. They also have partial independence, but by misuse of their independence, when the service attitude is transformed into the propensity for sense enjoyment, they come under the sway of lust. 

This material creation is created by the Lord to give a facility to the conditioned souls to fulfill these lustful propensities, and when they are completely baffled by prolonged lustful activities, the living entities begin to inquire about their real position.

This inquiry is the beginning of the Vedanta-sutras, wherein it is said, athato brahma-jijnasa: one should inquire into the Supreme. And the Supreme is defined in Srimad-Bhagavatam as janmadyasya yato 'nvayad itaratas ca, or, "The origin of everything is the Supreme Brahman." 

Therefore, the origin of lust is also in the Supreme. If, therefore, lust is transformed into love for the Supreme, or transformed into Krsna consciousness—or, in other words, desiring everything for Krsna—then both lust and wrath can be spiritualized. Hanuman, the great servitor of Lord Rama, engaged his wrath upon his enemies for the satisfaction of the Lord. 

Therefore, lust and wrath, when they are employed in Krsna consciousness, become our friends instead of our enemies.

Saturday, December 19, 2020

आत्म परिचय के बिना भक्ति नहीं हो सकती (WITHOUT ONE’S KNOWING ONESELF, ONE CANNOT DEVELOP LOVE FOR LORD) #Blog0056

आत्म परिचय के बिना भक्ति नहीं हो सकती (WITHOUT ONE’S KNOWING ONESELF, ONE CANNOT DEVELOP LOVE FOR LORD)

आत्म परिचय के बिना भक्ति नहीं हो सकती  
कौन करता है भक्ति? हाथ करते हैं भक्ति? या पैर, कान, मुख, आंख, नाक करते हैं ? 
आपकी चेतना भक्ति करती है 

Your consciousness does bhakti 

और यदि आपका उससे परिचय नहीं है तो आप उस मार्ग पर एक पग भी आगे नहीं बढ़ सकते  
आत्म चिंतन के बिना आत्म परिचय नहीं होता 
 
It is self-acquaintance ; you must know the pros and cons of your personality, your own fault, your qualities 
 
आपको अपने गुण अवगुण पता हो  
विचार के बिना एकांत नहीं हो सकता 
बिना विवेक के विचार नहीं होता 
बिना सत्संग के विवेक नहीं होता  
 
इसलिए सत्संग से विवेक (discrimination power), विवेक से विचार (thought), विचार से एकांत (solitude), एकांत से आत्मचिंतन (introspection), आत्मचिंतन से आत्म परिचय (self-acquaintance) और आत्म परिचय से भगवत भक्ति (Devotion) 
 
जैसे कोई 50 साल के लिए अपनी याद भूल गया हो, कोई उसे याद करा दें कि आपके असल में सगे संबंधी कौन हैं फिर वह असली संबंधी के पास ही जाना चाहता है  

ठीक वैसे ही हमारी स्थिति है 

हम भगवान को भूल बैठे हैं और भगवान ही हमारा एकमात्र सगा है  
सत्संग आपको स्मरण करा देता है आपका अपने सगे भगवान का रिश्ता 
 
Actually it is just a memory loss  
somehow due to non stop lording over material world  
“आए थे हरी भजन को और बन बैठे भगवान” 
 
we have forgotten our relationship with God 
and OUR ONLY TRUE ETERNAL RELATIONSHIP is with LORD 
 
, e.g., someone in a coma for say 50 years, once he regains his memory, on being told that his real relative is someone else, will immediately want to be with his real close relative. 
“उमा, राम स्वभाव जिन जाना, ताहिं तजत, इन्ही भाव न आना”  
LORD SHANKAR TELLS HIS WIFE DURGA (UMA) "WHOEVER COMES TO KNOW THE NATURE OF RAM (GOD), HE NEVER EVER THINKS OF LIVING WITHOUT HIM"  
 
Satsang (सत + संग - सत्य का संग) awakens our lost relationship with God by revealing God's NATURE (स्वभाव) and once one is awake, he tastes such a bliss which is eternal that all other worldly pleasures seem a trifle & too short lived.

Friday, December 18, 2020

GITA-SHLOKA-3.35- IT IS FAR BETTER TO DISCHARGE ONE'S PRESCRIBED DUTIES, EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY BE FAULTY, THAN ANOTHER'S DUTIES, 9th July

GITA-SHLOKA-3.35- IT IS FAR BETTER TO DISCHARGE ONE'S PRESCRIBED DUTIES, EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY BE FAULTY, THAN ANOTHER'S DUTIES, 9th July 

TRANSLATION
It is far better to discharge one's prescribed duties, even though they may be faulty, than another's duties. Destruction in the course of performing one's own duty is better than engaging in another's duties, for to follow another's path is dangerous.

PURPORT
One should therefore discharge his prescribed duties in full Krsna consciousness rather than those prescribed for others.

Prescribed duties complement one's psychophysical condition, under the spell of the modes of material nature.

Spiritual duties are as ordered by the spiritual master, for the transcendental service of Krsna.

But both materially or spiritually, one should stick to his prescribed duties even up to death, rather than imitate another's prescribed duties.

Duties on the spiritual platform and duties on the material platform may be different, but the principle of following the authorized direction is always good for the performer.

When one is under the spell of the modes of material nature, one should follow the prescribed rules for particular situations and should not imitate others.

For example, a brahmana, who is in the mode of goodness, is nonviolent, whereas a ksatriya, who is in the mode of passion, is allowed to be violent.

As such, for a ksatriya it is better to be vanquished following the rules of violence than to imitate a brahmana who follows the principles of nonviolence.

Everyone has to cleanse his heart by a gradual process, not abruptly.

However, when one transcends the modes of material nature and is fully situated in Krsna consciousness, he can perform anything and everything under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master.

In that complete stage of Krsna consciousness, the ksatriya may act as a brahmana, or a brahmana may act as a ksatriya.

In the transcendental stage, the distinctions of the material world do not apply.

For example, Visvamitra was originally a ksatriya, but later on he acted as a brahmana, whereas Parasurama was a brahmana, but later on he acted as a ksatriya.

Being transcendentally situated, they could do so; but as long as one is on the material platform, he must perform his duties according to the modes of material nature.

At the same time, he must have a full sense of Krsna consciousness.

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Bhagvatam: A DEVOTEE CAN GIVE THE BEST SERVICE TO HIS FAMILY, HIS COMMUNITY, HIS SOCIETY AND HIS NATION, 8th July

Bhagvatam: A DEVOTEE CAN GIVE THE BEST SERVICE TO HIS FAMILY, HIS COMMUNITY, HIS SOCIETY AND HIS NATION


TRANSLATION
If a brahmana has all twelve of the brahminical qualifications [as they are stated in the book called Sanat-sujata] but is not a devotee and is averse to the lotus feet of the Lord, he is certainly lower than a devotee who is a dog-eater but who has dedicated everything—mind, words, activities, wealth and life—to the Supreme Lord. Such a devotee is better than such a brahmana because the devotee can purify his whole family, whereas the so-called brahmana in a position of false prestige cannot purify even himself.

PURPORT
Here is a statement by Prahlada Maharaja, one of the twelve authorities, regarding the distinction between a devotee and a brahmana expert in karma-kanda, or Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. There are four varnas and four asramas, which divide human society, but the central principle is to become a first-class pure devotee. It is said in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya:

"IF ONE IS BORN IN A HIGH FAMILY LIKE THAT OF A BRAHMANA, KSHATRIYA OR VAISYA BUT IS NOT A DEVOTEE OF THE LORD, ALL HIS GOOD QUALIFICATIONS AS A BRAHMANA, KSHATRIYA OR VAISYA ARE NULL AND VOID. INDEED, THEY ARE CONSIDERED DECORATIONS OF A DEAD BODY."

In this verse Prahlada Maharaja speaks of the vipras, the learned brahmanas. The learned brahmana is considered best among the divisions of brahmana, kshatriya, vaisya and südra, BUT A DEVOTEE BORN IN A LOW CHANDALA FAMILY IS BETTER THAN SUCH BRAHMANAS, NOT TO SPEAK OF THE KSHATRIYAS, VAISYAS AND OTHERS. A DEVOTEE IS BETTER THAN ANYONE, FOR HE IS IN THE TRANSCENDENTAL POSITION ON THE BRAHMAN PLATFORM.

"ONE WHO ENGAGES IN FULL DEVOTIONAL SERVICE, WHO DOES NOT FALL DOWN IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, AT ONCE TRANSCENDS THE MODES OF MATERIAL NATURE AND THUS COMES TO THE LEVEL OF BRAHMAN." (Bg. 14.26) The twelve qualities of a first-class brahmana, as stated in the book called Sanat-sujata, are as follows:

The European and American devotees in the Krshna consciousness movement are sometimes accepted as brahmanas, but the so-called caste brahmanas are very much envious of them.

In answer to such envy, Prahlada Maharaja says that one who has been born in a brahmana family but is falsely proud of his prestigious position cannot even purify himself, not to speak of his family, whereas if a chandala, a lowborn person, is a devotee and has fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord, he can purify his entire family. We have had actual experience of how Americans and Europeans, because of their full Krshna consciousness, have purified their whole families, so much so that a mother of a devotee, at the time of her death, inquired about Krshna with her last breath. 

THEREFORE IT IS THEORETICALLY TRUE AND HAS BEEN PRACTICALLY PROVEN THAT A DEVOTEE CAN GIVE THE BEST SERVICE TO HIS FAMILY, HIS COMMUNITY, HIS SOCIETY AND HIS NATION. 

THE FOOLISH ACCUSE A DEVOTEE OF FOLLOWING THE PRINCIPLE OF ESCAPISM, BUT ACTUALLY THE FACT IS THAT A DEVOTEE IS THE RIGHT PERSON TO ELEVATE HIS FAMILY. A DEVOTEE ENGAGES EVERYTHING IN THE SERVICE OF THE LORD, AND THEREFORE HE IS ALWAYS EXALTED.

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

WHOEVER IS BEAUTIFUL AND KNOWS THAT HE IS BEAUTIFUL WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE MIRROR, AN UGLY PERSON WOULD NOT LIKE TO SEE MIRROR ,i.e., INTROSPECT #Blog0055


WHOEVER IS BEAUTIFUL AND KNOWS THAT HE IS BEAUTIFUL WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE MIRROR, NOT OTHERWISE


जो सुंदर व्यक्ति है और जिसे खबर है कि मैं सुंदर हूं
उस व्यक्ति को दर्पण देखना अच्छा लगेगा
जो व्यक्ति भीतर से स्वस्थ है, प्रसन्न है
उस व्यक्ति को विचार करना अच्छा लगेगा, उस व्यक्ति को आत्म चिंतन सुख देगा 

whoever is beautiful and knows that he is beautiful, who is healthy & happy inside, would like to see the mirror


लेकिन जो भीतर से अभी स्वस्थ नहीं हुआ, जिसका मन रोगी है, जिसमें राग है द्वेष है, ईर्ष्या है, मद मात्सर्य भरा है अहंकार है, वह जब आत्म चिंतन करेगा...

आप सब से झूठ बुलवा सकते हैं आप दर्पण से झूठ नहीं बुलवा सकते, दर्पण कभी झूठ नहीं बोलता

आपका मन आपके सामने सत्य रखेगा, आत्म चिंतन में पढ़ेंगे तो आपका अनुभव सुखद नहीं होगा

लेकिन हमें उस दुखद अनुभव से जूझना होगा

But one who is weak inside, who has attachments and hate inside him, has jealousy, pride & envy ;  when he tries to introspect, he would not have a pleasant experience initially because the mirror does not lie but continuous sincere effort will purify his heart inside & make him eligible for God’s devotion.