SB 10.14.41 :
Sukadeva Gosvami said: Having thus offered his prayers, Brahma circumambulated his worshipable Lord, the unlimited Personality of Godhead, three times and then bowed down at His lotus feet. The appointed creator of the universe then returned to his own residence.
Purport
Although Lord Brahma had prayed to take birth as a blade of grass in Vrindavana or even in the area surrounding Vrindavana, Lord Krishna, by His silent response to Brahma's prayers, indicated that Brahma should return to his own abode. First Brahma had to complete his personal devotional service of universal creation; then he could come to Vrindavana and get the mercy of the inhabitants there. In other words, a devotee should always be attentive to executing his personal devotional service properly. This is more important than trying to live in the Lord's abode.
This also applies when there are visiting Sanyasis and elevated spiritual personalities. It is wonderful to continuously get their darshan and always surround them. Through Lord Brahma's example we learn that we must be attentive to our service and do the needful instead of just remaining around those personalities and becoming a disturbance for them.
Lord Brahma was so attentive to His service that He left the personal association of Lord Sri Krsna and returned to His service even when he had just prayed to remain a blade of grass in Vrindavana.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Krsna's reciprocation to His devotees
Lord Brahma's prayers:
SB 10.14.37:My dear master, although You have nothing to do with material existence, You come to this earth and imitate material life just to expand the varieties of ecstatic enjoyment for Your surrendered devotees.
Purport:
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura points out that just as a lamp does not seem to shine as brightly in sunlight as it does in the shade, or as a diamond does not seem as brilliant on a silver platter as it does on a plate of blue glass, the Lord's pastimes as Govinda do not seem as amazing in the transcendental abode of Vaikuntha as they do within the material realm of Maya. Lord Krishna comes to the earth and acts toward His pure devotees exactly like a devoted son, boyfriend, husband, father, friend and so on, and within the darkness of material existence these brilliant, liberated pastimes give unlimited ecstasy to the surrendered devotees of the Lord.
In his Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Srila Prabhupada quotes Lord Brahma as follows: "I can also understand that Your appearance as a small cowherd boy, a child of the cowherd men, is not at all a material activity. You are so much obliged by their affection that You are here to enthuse them with more loving service by Your transcendental presence. "
SB 10.14.37:My dear master, although You have nothing to do with material existence, You come to this earth and imitate material life just to expand the varieties of ecstatic enjoyment for Your surrendered devotees.
Purport:
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura points out that just as a lamp does not seem to shine as brightly in sunlight as it does in the shade, or as a diamond does not seem as brilliant on a silver platter as it does on a plate of blue glass, the Lord's pastimes as Govinda do not seem as amazing in the transcendental abode of Vaikuntha as they do within the material realm of Maya. Lord Krishna comes to the earth and acts toward His pure devotees exactly like a devoted son, boyfriend, husband, father, friend and so on, and within the darkness of material existence these brilliant, liberated pastimes give unlimited ecstasy to the surrendered devotees of the Lord.
In his Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Srila Prabhupada quotes Lord Brahma as follows: "I can also understand that Your appearance as a small cowherd boy, a child of the cowherd men, is not at all a material activity. You are so much obliged by their affection that You are here to enthuse them with more loving service by Your transcendental presence. "
Gratitude essential for Tolerance
From HH Radhanath Swami's Vyasa Puja address
To the degree we are grateful, to that degree we can access as more and more and more. If we are proud, proud means egoistically proud, we cannot be grateful. An egoistic proud heart always thinks “I deserve something more. I want something else” but a grateful heart he always things, “I do not deserve the gifts I am receiving”. And our acharayas tells us, “This is the qualification to attain the liberation of pure love of god.
“tat te 'nukampäà su-samékñamäëo
bhuïjäna evätma-kåtaà vipäkam
håd-väg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jéveta yo mukti-pade sa däya-bhäk 10.14.8
Even when there are reversals, tragedies, or immense almost unsurpassable obstacles that comes in our life. Even when people are not treating us the way we want them too or the things are just not coming in our way, if we can be grateful, grateful for the opportunity to learn to grow, to take shelter of god and to serve in that situation but we can access the highest wealth, Krishna’s mercy.
Gratitude gives us the power to digest and assimilate god’s grace. Even if we are given the most nutritious food, if we have no power to digest it, all there vitamins and nutritions just go right through us and will get no real benefit. Krishna’s mercy is everywhere and for a devotee, there is unlimited showers of mercy at every single second. If we are actually grateful, grateful does not mean it comes the way we want it. We have to be grateful for however it is coming as it is. That is gratitude. That gives us the power to digest, assimilate and deeply benefit. “Param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtanam”. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has told us that the prime benediction for all humanity is the name of god. “enechi auñadhi mäyä näçibäro lägi' hari-näma mahä-mantra lao tumi magi”. The holy name is a medicine that can cure us all sufferings and bring us to our natural hope of eternity knowledge and bliss “Sachida nanda”.
Through these qualities, we can have deep gratitude and then the name of God will have the maximum affect of awakening the inner wealth within us. A wealth that cannot be plundered by thieves, cannot be shaken by earthquakes, cannot be blown away by hurricanes or cyclones, cannot be burn by fire, or cannot be moistened by Tsunamies. A wealth that cannot even be touched by death. “Prema pumarto mahana” prema dhana. This is what Sri Caitanya Mahaprabh , this is what Srila Prabhupada has come to give us “The wealth of love for God” Krishna Prema. How much do we really want it? How much do we actually fill the necessity for it? Accordingly that’s how much we will make it priority in our life.
To the degree we are grateful, to that degree we can access as more and more and more. If we are proud, proud means egoistically proud, we cannot be grateful. An egoistic proud heart always thinks “I deserve something more. I want something else” but a grateful heart he always things, “I do not deserve the gifts I am receiving”. And our acharayas tells us, “This is the qualification to attain the liberation of pure love of god.
“tat te 'nukampäà su-samékñamäëo
bhuïjäna evätma-kåtaà vipäkam
håd-väg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jéveta yo mukti-pade sa däya-bhäk 10.14.8
Even when there are reversals, tragedies, or immense almost unsurpassable obstacles that comes in our life. Even when people are not treating us the way we want them too or the things are just not coming in our way, if we can be grateful, grateful for the opportunity to learn to grow, to take shelter of god and to serve in that situation but we can access the highest wealth, Krishna’s mercy.
Gratitude gives us the power to digest and assimilate god’s grace. Even if we are given the most nutritious food, if we have no power to digest it, all there vitamins and nutritions just go right through us and will get no real benefit. Krishna’s mercy is everywhere and for a devotee, there is unlimited showers of mercy at every single second. If we are actually grateful, grateful does not mean it comes the way we want it. We have to be grateful for however it is coming as it is. That is gratitude. That gives us the power to digest, assimilate and deeply benefit. “Param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtanam”. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has told us that the prime benediction for all humanity is the name of god. “enechi auñadhi mäyä näçibäro lägi' hari-näma mahä-mantra lao tumi magi”. The holy name is a medicine that can cure us all sufferings and bring us to our natural hope of eternity knowledge and bliss “Sachida nanda”.
Through these qualities, we can have deep gratitude and then the name of God will have the maximum affect of awakening the inner wealth within us. A wealth that cannot be plundered by thieves, cannot be shaken by earthquakes, cannot be blown away by hurricanes or cyclones, cannot be burn by fire, or cannot be moistened by Tsunamies. A wealth that cannot even be touched by death. “Prema pumarto mahana” prema dhana. This is what Sri Caitanya Mahaprabh , this is what Srila Prabhupada has come to give us “The wealth of love for God” Krishna Prema. How much do we really want it? How much do we actually fill the necessity for it? Accordingly that’s how much we will make it priority in our life.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Tolerance
Why "Tolerance" in difficult situations?
What do we learn when we tolerate difficult situations?
- Tolerance because its Krishna's mercy to correct us
- Tolerance because its our karma
- Tolerance because it is Krishna's plan for us - as a service tolerate, if we do not tolerate we are offensive to Krishna
- Tolerance because we are not the controllers and cannot change the situation that is in Krishna's control
- Tolerance so that I don't retaliate and create further entangling Karma
- Tolerance because I have received so much mercy in my life and everything cannot happen the way I want it
- Tolerance because this is an opportunity to grow, because Krishna is taking personal care of me by putting me in this situation - if I dont I will miss this opportunity
- Tolerance because this is just a small token of what I deserve, I deserve much worse but Krishna is so merciful He is only giving me a token
- Gratitude : it gives us the ability to assimilate the Lord's grace
- Ask for Forgiveness in the mood of Lord Brahma asking for forgiveness in the Brahma Vimohana Lila
- Forgive the perpetrators
- Accept Responsibility
What do we learn when we tolerate difficult situations?
- My real identity is I am Krishna's servant - difficult situations or people cannot change that
- Since my identity is of Krishna's servant - my duty is to serve in all situations. I should not lament abt the externals
- I cannot change Krishna's plan
- I need to forgive - the instruments of my karma are not responsible for the situation- Myself and the three modes of material nature are responsible.
- We become increasingly situated in the spiritual identity and conception of life
- Dissolving of the false ego.
- this brought me closer to Krishna - He is so merciful
- Krishna is very merciful- He arranged the situation to teach me a specific lesson to target a specific anartha
We cannot change Krishna's plan : thus accept and tolerate
When I am in difficulty I try with all my might to come out of it, identify the perpetrator, indulge in the blame game and many such acts except "Accept whatever is in store for me". There is some acceptance however there is more retaliation to the situation.
In the Brahma Vimohana Lila - Lord Brahma was bewildered when he saw all the calves, cows and cowherd boys with Krishna even when he had stolen them a year ago. SG says:
SB 10.13.44
"Thus because Lord Brahmā wanted to mystify the all-pervading Lord Kṛṣṇa, who can never be mystified, but who, on the contrary, mystifies the entire universe, he himself was put into bewilderment by his own mystic power."
SB 10.13.45
"As the darkness of snow on a dark night and the light of a glowworm in the light of day have no value, the mystic power of an inferior person who tries to use it against a person of great power is unable to accomplish anything; instead, the power of that inferior person is diminished."
Lord Brahma wanted to mystify Krishna but he was put into beweilderment as a result of His own plan.
In the purport to 10.13.44 Srila Prabhupada writes:
"Instead of defeating Krishna, Brahma himself was defeated, for he could not understand what Krishna was doing. Since Brahma, the chief person within this universe, was so bewildered, what is to be said of so-called scientists and philosophers? Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. We should give up all our tiny efforts to defy the arrangement of Krishna. Instead, whatever arrangements He proposes, we should accept. This is always better, for this will make us happy. The more we try to defeat the arrangement of Krishna, the more we become implicated in Krishna's maya (daivi hy esha guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya). But one who has reached the point of surrendering to the instructions of Krishna (mam eva ye prapadyante) is liberated, free from krishna-maya (mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]). The power of Krishna is just like a government that cannot be overcome. First of all there are laws, and then there is police power, and beyond that is military power. Therefore, what is the use of trying to overcome the power of the government? Similarly, what is the use of trying to challenge Krishna?"
The difficulty hurts because of breaking of a certain relationship, loss of reputation, feeling betrayed, etc.It hurts because the material conception of life that I carry needs these things to be in place for me to happy and when these break down the material conception of a happy life suffers and thus cause pain.The pain and betrayal is too much for the false ego - if it accepts everything the complete conception of the self will break down and because that is intolerable we retaliate.
Instead of wasting my energy on trying to fix the situation, or clarify my position, it is better that I continue doing my service to the Lord.None of the measures can give me any peace of mind because the difficulty remains for a reason in spite of me trying so many ways to overcome it. The reason it remains is so that I learn to accept it as Krishna's plan. The sooner I accept it as Krishna's plan the sooner I will feel mental relief. The sooner I realize that I am not the controller Krishna is , the sooner I get relief - the difficulty may remain but my perception would have changed.I can get relief from the difficulty only by accepting the situation and tolerating it. I cannot change Krishna's plan. Everything that is happening to me is under His divine arrangement and who am I to be able to change Krishna's plan or fool Krishna by trying creative ways to resolve the situation.
As long as I realize no matter what happens my identity as a servant of Krishna cannot be changed by any force.That identity remains and nobody and no force can change that. Nobody can take away my relationship with Krishna. As soon as I situate myself in such a conception no dualities will affect me, I will see everything as Krishna's loving hand of reciprocation.
In the Brahma Vimohana Lila - Lord Brahma was bewildered when he saw all the calves, cows and cowherd boys with Krishna even when he had stolen them a year ago. SG says:
SB 10.13.44
"Thus because Lord Brahmā wanted to mystify the all-pervading Lord Kṛṣṇa, who can never be mystified, but who, on the contrary, mystifies the entire universe, he himself was put into bewilderment by his own mystic power."
SB 10.13.45
"As the darkness of snow on a dark night and the light of a glowworm in the light of day have no value, the mystic power of an inferior person who tries to use it against a person of great power is unable to accomplish anything; instead, the power of that inferior person is diminished."
Lord Brahma wanted to mystify Krishna but he was put into beweilderment as a result of His own plan.
In the purport to 10.13.44 Srila Prabhupada writes:
"Instead of defeating Krishna, Brahma himself was defeated, for he could not understand what Krishna was doing. Since Brahma, the chief person within this universe, was so bewildered, what is to be said of so-called scientists and philosophers? Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. We should give up all our tiny efforts to defy the arrangement of Krishna. Instead, whatever arrangements He proposes, we should accept. This is always better, for this will make us happy. The more we try to defeat the arrangement of Krishna, the more we become implicated in Krishna's maya (daivi hy esha guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya). But one who has reached the point of surrendering to the instructions of Krishna (mam eva ye prapadyante) is liberated, free from krishna-maya (mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]). The power of Krishna is just like a government that cannot be overcome. First of all there are laws, and then there is police power, and beyond that is military power. Therefore, what is the use of trying to overcome the power of the government? Similarly, what is the use of trying to challenge Krishna?"
The difficulty hurts because of breaking of a certain relationship, loss of reputation, feeling betrayed, etc.It hurts because the material conception of life that I carry needs these things to be in place for me to happy and when these break down the material conception of a happy life suffers and thus cause pain.The pain and betrayal is too much for the false ego - if it accepts everything the complete conception of the self will break down and because that is intolerable we retaliate.
Instead of wasting my energy on trying to fix the situation, or clarify my position, it is better that I continue doing my service to the Lord.None of the measures can give me any peace of mind because the difficulty remains for a reason in spite of me trying so many ways to overcome it. The reason it remains is so that I learn to accept it as Krishna's plan. The sooner I accept it as Krishna's plan the sooner I will feel mental relief. The sooner I realize that I am not the controller Krishna is , the sooner I get relief - the difficulty may remain but my perception would have changed.I can get relief from the difficulty only by accepting the situation and tolerating it. I cannot change Krishna's plan. Everything that is happening to me is under His divine arrangement and who am I to be able to change Krishna's plan or fool Krishna by trying creative ways to resolve the situation.
As long as I realize no matter what happens my identity as a servant of Krishna cannot be changed by any force.That identity remains and nobody and no force can change that. Nobody can take away my relationship with Krishna. As soon as I situate myself in such a conception no dualities will affect me, I will see everything as Krishna's loving hand of reciprocation.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Tolerance for being corrected
When difficulties come in my life, I at some point do think about the verse tat te nukampam and think that this is my opportunity to apply it. I also think about the fact that Krishna is the controller and I must surrender to His plan " mare Krishna Rakhe kaun rakhe Krishna Mare Kaun"
However these realizations come and ago during the face of difficulty. Eventually I start fighting it on my own, try to make arrangements to lessen the impact of difficulty which only cause more entanglement.
I sometimes have a spiritual conception while dealing with the difficulty and sometimes a material one. During the difficulty I realize I could have had a sustained spiritual conception during this time if I had performed good sadhana before and I resolve to do better sadhana.
I learn some lessons during that time, that Krishna is trying to teach me something here. He is wanting to correct me in some way, remove certain anarthas from me.
Once the difficulty is over I learn some lessons and miss some lessons and more or less revert back to my old ways.I get a little wiser in devotional service and a little sincere however I start forgetting many lessons. Whenever I remember the difficult time and I remember the painful things I heard, the painful situations I was in and it gives grief to my heart.
I read this quote "Tolerate being corrected" in article BTG#29-04,1995, The Social Role of Cows
by Hare Krsna Devi Dasi. She writes "Probably no other animal is as tolerant as a cow. If by your daily care and affection you convince the cow or ox that you are its well-wisher, it won’t hold a grudge against you for reprimanding it. It won’t attack you. For example, once, by my foolish negligence, one of our milk cows got loose from her stall, and when I walked into the barn I found her eating from a grain cart. I knew she could die from overeating if she didn’t stop. So I yelled at her, but she didn’t stop. I hit her on the back with a stick, but she still kept eating. Finally, I had to hit her in the face, which I hated to do, especially since it was my fault she got loose. But she stopped eating grain and returned to her stall. In five minutes she was mooing softly for me to come and pet her. She wasn’t at all afraid of me, and she wasn’t angry at me. I knew a dog or cat or even a child would never have such tolerance.
If a person can develop tolerance for being corrected, it is a wonderful asset for advancing in spiritual life. Of course, a spiritual master doesn’t beat his disciple with a stick, but sometimes a disciple’s ego gets hurt when his actions or beliefs are shown mistaken. The cowherd can learn tolerance from the cows and oxen."
Just like Mataji first yelled at the cow, hit her on the back with a stick and then finally had to smack her on the face - Krsna also gives me mini indications of my mistake by giving me mini purification for the same bad habit. I don't end up learning then he gives me a little bigger purification but I still don't learn, because I cannot "tolerate being corrected" its too much for my false ego - I don't learn because I think I am perfect in that area - I don't have that problem someone else does. When I don't learn in-spite of numerous nudges by Krishna then he has to push me hard so that I fall from that false position of being perfect and can realize how I have been making this mistake repeatedly and I need to learn this lesson.
If I can tolerate being corrected it is a wonderful asset for my advancement in spiritual life. So tolerance is not of tolerating the people or the situation or the effects of our karma, it is also tolerating being corrected
However these realizations come and ago during the face of difficulty. Eventually I start fighting it on my own, try to make arrangements to lessen the impact of difficulty which only cause more entanglement.
I sometimes have a spiritual conception while dealing with the difficulty and sometimes a material one. During the difficulty I realize I could have had a sustained spiritual conception during this time if I had performed good sadhana before and I resolve to do better sadhana.
I learn some lessons during that time, that Krishna is trying to teach me something here. He is wanting to correct me in some way, remove certain anarthas from me.
Once the difficulty is over I learn some lessons and miss some lessons and more or less revert back to my old ways.I get a little wiser in devotional service and a little sincere however I start forgetting many lessons. Whenever I remember the difficult time and I remember the painful things I heard, the painful situations I was in and it gives grief to my heart.
Why was it difficult for me ?
Obviously "I wasnt treated well but more importantly I could not "Tolerate being Corrected". The tolerance I needed was not to tolerate others and the pain but to tolerate being corrected.I read this quote "Tolerate being corrected" in article BTG#29-04,1995, The Social Role of Cows
by Hare Krsna Devi Dasi. She writes "Probably no other animal is as tolerant as a cow. If by your daily care and affection you convince the cow or ox that you are its well-wisher, it won’t hold a grudge against you for reprimanding it. It won’t attack you. For example, once, by my foolish negligence, one of our milk cows got loose from her stall, and when I walked into the barn I found her eating from a grain cart. I knew she could die from overeating if she didn’t stop. So I yelled at her, but she didn’t stop. I hit her on the back with a stick, but she still kept eating. Finally, I had to hit her in the face, which I hated to do, especially since it was my fault she got loose. But she stopped eating grain and returned to her stall. In five minutes she was mooing softly for me to come and pet her. She wasn’t at all afraid of me, and she wasn’t angry at me. I knew a dog or cat or even a child would never have such tolerance.
If a person can develop tolerance for being corrected, it is a wonderful asset for advancing in spiritual life. Of course, a spiritual master doesn’t beat his disciple with a stick, but sometimes a disciple’s ego gets hurt when his actions or beliefs are shown mistaken. The cowherd can learn tolerance from the cows and oxen."
Just like Mataji first yelled at the cow, hit her on the back with a stick and then finally had to smack her on the face - Krsna also gives me mini indications of my mistake by giving me mini purification for the same bad habit. I don't end up learning then he gives me a little bigger purification but I still don't learn, because I cannot "tolerate being corrected" its too much for my false ego - I don't learn because I think I am perfect in that area - I don't have that problem someone else does. When I don't learn in-spite of numerous nudges by Krishna then he has to push me hard so that I fall from that false position of being perfect and can realize how I have been making this mistake repeatedly and I need to learn this lesson.
If I can tolerate being corrected it is a wonderful asset for my advancement in spiritual life. So tolerance is not of tolerating the people or the situation or the effects of our karma, it is also tolerating being corrected
Saturday, January 1, 2011
10.14.8: tat te nukampam...
My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.
About the verse:
- This verse is the most quoted verse by Srila Prabhupada
- VCT says that this verse verse describes Bhakti
Why is this verse so important?
Tolerance is considered as the most important quality for a devotee as stated by Srila Prabhupada(BTG 1987 -A Body Free of Suffering). True tolerance appears when one is in the spiritual conception of life thinking that whatever is happening is like the appearance and disappearance of summer and winter months, I cannot change it. All the difficulties that are happening are under the Lord's control. Because of these events I should not get entangled and I should focus only on my progress in devotional service and not in correcting this.If I am in the material conception, I will get affected by it and will take some action only to get further entangled. The insult, hurt etc is actually affecting my false ego. However my position as a servant of the Lord cannot be taken away.
In fact the fourth verse that Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita is the verse matra sparsas tu kaunteya "O son of Kuntī, the non permanent 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."
They arise from sense perception which is again on the material platform and thus we should not be disturbed.This verse on tolerance is considered as the key to the Bhagavad Gita.If we remain with this attitude we can understand everything else in the Bhagavad Gita.
If one remains in such a spiritual conception then one can make progress in bhakti as such an understanding situates one in humility,frees one from the bodily conception of life and controller-ship.Thus the false ego is dissolved. However if one remains on the material platform - one is not humble enough to accept the reversals as reactions to their karma, one clings to the false ego that I am the enjoyer and nobody can harm me. Thus one remains in the bodily conception of life, nurturing the false ego forever.
Thus this verse is of significance as it situates one on the platform of humility and acceptance of the supremacy of the Lord and one's minuteness in relation to the Lord and his plan.This is a fertile ground for Bhakti.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)