Gita shloka 3.21: ONE SHOULD FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GREAT DEVOTEES AND THAT IS THE WAY OF PROGRESS ON THE PATH OF SPIRITUAL REALIZATION , 26th June

Gita shloka 3.21

one should follow in the footsteps of great devotees and that is the way of progress on the path of spiritual realization

TRANSLATION

Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.

PURPORT

People in general always require a leader who can teach the public by practical behavior.

A leader cannot teach the public to stop smoking if he himself smokes.

Lord Chaitanya said that a teacher should behave properly even before he begins teaching.

One who teaches in that way is called āchārya, or the ideal teacher.

Therefore, a teacher must follow the principles of śhāśtra (scripture) to reach the common man.

The teacher cannot manufacture rules against the principles of revealed scriptures.

The revealed scriptures, like Manu-saṁhitā and similar others, are considered the standard books to be followed by human society.

Thus the leader’s teaching should be based on the principles of the standard rules as they are practiced by the great teachers.

The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also affirms that one should follow in the footsteps of great devotees, and that is the way of progress on the path of spiritual realization.

The king or the executive head of a state, the father and the school teacher are all considered to be natural leaders of the innocent people in general.

All such natural leaders have a great responsibility to their dependants; therefore they must be conversant with standard books of moral and spiritual codes.

 

BHAGVAT: BY WORSHIPING THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, KRSHNA, ONE CAN SATISFY EVERYONE, JUST AS ONE CAN WATER THE BRANCHES, LEAVES AND FLOWERS OF A TREE SIMPLY BY WATERING ITS ROOT, 26th June

SRIMAD BHAGVATAM:

BY WORSHIPING THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, KRSHNA, ONE CAN SATISFY EVERYONE, JUST AS ONE CAN WATER THE BRANCHES, LEAVES AND FLOWERS OF A TREE SIMPLY BY WATERING ITS ROOT

TRANSLATION

O King of the earth, it has been decided by expert, learned scholars that only the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krshna, in whom all that is moving or nonmoving within this universe is resting and from whom everything is coming, is the best person to whom everything must be given.

PURPORT

Whenever we perform some religious act in terms of dharma, artha, kama and moksha, we must perform it according to the time, place and person (kala, desa, patra). Narada Muni has already described the desa (place) and kala (time). The kala has been described in verses twenty through twenty-four, beginning with the words ayane vishuve kuryad vyatipate dina-kshaye. And the places for giving charity or performing ritualistic ceremonies have been described in verses thirty through thirty-three, beginning with saramsi pushkaradini kshetrany arhasritany uta. 

Now, to whom everything must be given is decided in this verse. Harir evaika urvisa yan-mayam vai caracaram. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krshna, is the root of everything, and therefore He is the best patra, or person, to whom everything must be given. In Bhagavad-gita (5.29) it is said:

If one wants to enjoy real peace and prosperity, he should give everything to Krshna, who is the real enjoyer, real friend and real proprietor. 

It is therefore said:

BY WORSHIPING OR SATISFYING ACHYUTA, THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, KRSHNA, ONE CAN SATISFY EVERYONE, JUST AS ONE CAN WATER THE BRANCHES, LEAVES AND FLOWERS OF A TREE SIMPLY BY WATERING ITS ROOT OR AS ONE SATISFIES ALL THE SENSES OF THE BODY BY GIVING FOOD TO THE STOMACH. 

THEREFORE, A DEVOTEE SIMPLY OFFERS EVERYTHING TO THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD TO RECEIVE THE BEST RESULTS OF CHARITY, RELIGIOUS PERFORMANCES, SENSE GRATIFICATION AND EVEN LIBERATION (DHARMA, ARTHA, KAMA, MOKSHA).

TRANSLATION

The entire universe, which is full of living entities, is like a tree whose root is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Achyuta [Krshna]. Therefore simply by worshiping Lord Krshna one can worship all living entities.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gita (10.8) the Lord says:

"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts." 

People are very much anxious to give service to other living entities, especially to the poor, but although they have manufactured many ways to give such help, actually they are expert in killing the poor living entities. This sort of service or mercy is not recommended in the Vedic wisdom. 

As stated in a previous verse, it has been decided (niruktam) by expert saintly persons that Krshna is the root of everything and that worshiping Krshna is worshiping everyone, just as supplying water to the root of a tree means satisfying all of its branches and twigs.

Another point is that this universe is full of living entities from top to bottom, on every planet (jiva-rasibhir akirnam). Modern scientists and so-called scholars think that there are no living entities on planets other than this one. Recently they have said that they have gone to the moon but did not find any living entities there. But Srimad-Bhagavatam and the other Vedic literatures do not agree with this foolish conception. 

There are living entities everywhere, not only one or two but jiva-rasibhim—many millions of living entities. Even on the sun there are living entities, although it is a fiery planet. 

The chief living entity on the sun is called Vivasvan (imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam). All the different planets are filled with different types of living entities according to different living conditions. 

To suggest that only this planet is filled with living entities and that others are vacant is foolish. This betrays a lack of real knowledge.

UNLESS YOU MAKE SELF EFFORT TO KNOW YOURSELF - WHO YOU ARE, WHY YOU CAME HERE, GOD's GRACE CANNOT HELP #Blog0048

Unless you make self effort to know yourself - who you are & why you came here, God's grace cannot help

भगवान की कृपा तो सब पर है – भगवान अपने श्री मुख से कहते हैं : 

“सब मम प्रिय, सब मम उपजाए, सब पर मोहि बराबर दाया”

मगर जब तक कोई “अपनी कृपा स्वयं पर” नहीं करे तो भगवान भी मदद नहीं कर पाते.          

This is what distinguishes a devotee (अपनी कृपा स्वयं पर करते हैं) from a non-devotee (अपनी कृपा स्वयं पर नहीं करते हैं)         

If a utensil is kept in inverted position, open face downwards – तो प्रलयकारी मेघ भी बरस जाएं तो उसे नहीं भर सकते – then even calamitous clouds burst cannot fill that utensil

जिसने अपना सोया विवेक जगाना ही नहीं है, उसे ब्रह्मा स्वयं भी नहीं समझ सकते       

One who is bent upon letting its “Discrimination power” (विवेक) sleep only & wants to do whatever one’s mind chooses to, i.e., one is led by one’s mind ( जो मन करता है खा लिया, पी लिया, जहां मन करता है चले गए,....) rather than mastering the mind & be a mastermind, even Lord Brahma cannot make him understand about importance of Lord.     

“मूर्ख को समझाना सरल है, पंडित को समझाना और भी सरल है, लेकिन जो है तो मूर्ख, पर अपने आप को समझता है पंडित, उसे श्री ब्रह्मा जी भी नहीं समझा सकते” 

“कहत सुनत दशा हृदय नहीं आवे” 

you cannot appreciate the feeling of bliss of devotion only by casual reading or casual listening – you have to have sincerity of purpose for your invaluable human life  & seriously dive deep into the core of bhakti - to utilise the precious moments of our lives)

Unless a radio equipment "tunes" itself to a radio station or a TV "tunes" itself to its satellite signal or a mobile handset "tunes" itself to its "parent" station, how can the device work ? Not at all ,i.e., no device can work independently on one’s own. 

Similarly unless one "tunes" itself in accordance with signal of Lord, and tries to do everything on his own, is doomed.  

This tuning is to make self effort in knowing about oneself - 1. who is he/she  2. why he/she came to the world ,i.e., what is the purpose of his/her being sent to this world & 3. who sent him here.

Soul is constitutionally the supreme authority of body as designed by Lord but we let our mind, a lower authority, do its own bidding & control us. 

Mind is clueless & direction less, it ought to be controlled by soul through intellect’s discriminating power  (विवेक) but we do not awaken our discriminating power  (विवेक) – this is how we are led by illusion (माया) & waste our lives by going here & there & not in the proper prescribed direction of Lord.

इसलिए अपने आप का खुद पर “आत्म कल्याण करें”

Gita shloka 3.20, KṚṢṆA CONSCIOUSNESS PERSON WORKS TO TEACH THE PUBLIC HOW TO LIVE AND HOW TO ACT,25th June

Gita shloka 3.20, Kṛṣṇa consciousness PERSON works to teach the public how to live and how to act

TRANSLATION

Even kings like Janaka and others attained the perfectional stage by performance of prescribed duties. Therefore, just for the sake of educating the people in general, you should perform your work.

PURPORT

Kings like Janaka and others were all self-realized souls; consequently they had no obligation to perform the prescribed duties in the Vedas.

Nonetheless they performed all prescribed activities just to set examples for the people in general.

Janaka was the father of Sītā, and father-in-law of Lord Śrī Rāma.

Being a great devotee of the Lord, he was transcendentally situated, but because he was the King of Mithila (a subdivision of Bihar province in India), he had to teach his subjects how to fight righteously in battle.

He and his subjects fought to teach people in general that violence is also necessary in a situation where good arguments fail.

Before the Battle of Kurukṣetra, every effort was made to avoid the war, even by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the other party was determined to fight.

So for such a right cause, there is a necessity for fighting.

Although one who is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness may not have any interest in the world, he still works to teach the public how to live and how to act.

Experienced persons in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can act in such a way that others will follow, and this is explained in the following verse.

 

SURRENDER COMPLETELY TO GOD WITHOUT ANY EXPECTATION #Blog0047

SURRENDER  COMPLETELY TO GOD WITHOUT ANY EXPECTATION      

निष्काम भाव से  सम्पूर्ण  समर्पण   
 

अब सौंप दिया इस जीवन का,   सब भार तुम्हारे हाथों में

है जीत तुम्हारे हाथों में और हार तुम्हारे हाथों में॥           

मेरा निश्चय है बस एक यही, एक बार तुम्हे पा जाऊं मैं

अर्पण करदूँ दुनिया भर का सब प्यार तुम्हारे हाथों में॥           

 

 

जो जग में रहूँ तो ऐसे रहूँ, जैसे जल में कमल का फूल रहे

मेरे सब गुण दोष समर्पित हों, करतार तुम्हारे हाथों में॥           

यदि मानव का मुझे जन्म मिले तो, तेरे चरणों का पुजारी बनूँ

 इस पूजा की एक एक रग का हो तार तुम्हारे हाथों में॥           

जब जब संसार का कैदी बनू, निष्काम भाव से कऱम करूँ

फिर अंत समय में प्राण तजूं, निराकार तुम्हारे हाथों में॥           

 

मुझ में तुझ में बस भेद यही मैं, नर हूँ तुम नारायण हो

मैं हूँ संसार के हाथों में, संसार तुम्हारे हाथों में॥