Free Rider.

Yesterday being Siva ratri, I was trying to follow HH Mahanidhi Swami's words by painting the canvas of my mind with pastimes of Lord Shiva. Hearing the pastimes of Aasheshwar Mahadev in Vrindavan,I was trying to tune into the message in it for me. Maharaj kept reiterating about how the devotee of the Lord, in this case Lord Siva, has hope against hope or 'Ashabandha.' Though considering himself unqualified, he still hoped to attain the lotus feet of Krishna upon his head and ultimately succeeded

Further; this morning On an impulse, I opened the pages of 'Vraja-Lila' (A 118 pages, Vrindavana lecture series book by HG Deena Bandhu Prabhu), and found this: "Bhuta means ghost. This is Lord Siva as the leader of ghosts. I don't know if you've ever seen a picture of Sivaratri, the night when Lord Siva got married". "Has anybody ever seen the bharat of Lord Siva? Bharat means wedding procession".

He goes on to mention how they visit a temple near Delhi in a place called Renukoot every year,where there is a beautiful Radha Krishna temple. Talking about one of the dioramas there, he says " On the side there are are many dioramas, and one of those dioramas is Lord Siva's wedding procession with the strangest personalities you would ever dream about. Think of your worst dream.Whatever monster you saw, it's even worse than that. The most obtuse, strangely shaped creatures are there, some with big long necks and all of the bones in their necks and ribs sticking out. Lord Siva takes care of these because he is very easily pleased. If Lord Siva is pleased with them, then they can get birth in a human body, so they are all his followers".
With prasadam in hand I was musing over the words in the following paragraphs and realized how much of a free rider I am; happily living off the beneficial actions of others. Lord Shiva, Gopiswara Mahadev is at home, worshipped every single day with Charanamrita from the salagram silas and is offered Their Mahaprasad, yet I make no effort to please him knowing that he is easily pleased! I just hastily put together the Bhoga offering, without even meditating on his position. Talking of prasadam, I just eat it up instead of honoring and savoring it as Maha-maha prasad. As for chanting the names of the Lord, the most pleasing activity to Lord Siva,mine is full of distractions and can be best described as abysmal!

Yes, I need to be mindful of my actions, my surroundings, my thoughts and my existence and stop being a free rider. Otherwise, even though in a human body it is just a ghostly, shadow existence that I am leading.

Gopiswara Mahadev and Maha maha Prasad.

As Chanakya Pandit states:

One indeed becomes blessed by having darshan of a devotee; for the devotee has the ability to purify immediately, whereas the sacred tirtha gives purity only after prolonged contact.

I can only repeat the prayers given by our Acharyas and beg for mercy from this greatest Vaisnava and hope to better my chanting.

vrindavana-vani-pate jaya soma-maule
sanaka-sanandana-sanatana-naradedya
gopishvara vraja-vilasi-yuganghri-padme
prema prayaccha nirupadhi namo namaste

“O Gatekeeper of Vrindavana! O Soma, All glories to you. O you whose head is decorated with the moon, and who is worshipable for the sages headed by Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Narada! O Gopishvara! Desiring that you bestow upon me love for the lotus feet of Radha Madhava who perform joyous pastimes in Vraja, I offer my obeisances unto you again and again.”

Few hours in the Spiritual world.

I could not get to participate much in the kirtan program at the home of the Ravals (NY), but got some pictures of the Annakut and their home deities. It was simultaneously like being in Vrindavan with the Annakut festival, in Mayapur with the Sankirtan and in Jagannath Puri with all the prasadam. Here are some pictures.

The Altar

Sri Sri Radha Vasant Bihari


Gaura Nitai .



They need no intro...

The Annakut

Our Jagannath Baladev and Giriraj Shilas, The Guests of honor.

My Offering to Giriraja and the two brothers.


After the feast- Giriraja still eyeing the offerings.

Resting.

Between the two Ears!

36 hours? surely you must mean 36 minutes. Why don't you use that time in spreading joy among the poor, distribute food maybe? You mean you chant every single day? These are questions that we get asked sometimes, while inviting newbies to a kirtan program. At the outset this might be like comparing apples and bananas. What has spending time in kirtan got to do with helping the poor?
Historically we can see that Prahlad Maharaj and Caitanya Mahaprabhu themselves were questioned about the meaningfulness and intentions of Akhanda Sankirtan. Taking our own example, the mind questions us every single day. Just as we pick up our japa beads, the mind says " What is the hurry? You have many more hours to go in the day do you really want to waste your time rising early to chant? Rest some more!"
Its easier to explain to the new comer than to explain to the mind that "yes we can distribute food to the poor, but where does the food come from?"

In his purport to the verse 3.11 in the Bhagavad Gita Srila Prabhupada explains:
Krsna Himself is the beneficiary of all kinds of yajnas: Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam. Therefore, ultimate satisfaction of the yajna-pati is the chief purpose of all yajnas. When these yajnas are perfectly performed, naturally the demigods in charge of the different departments of supply are pleased, and there is no scarcity in the supply of natural products.

Srila Prabhupada repeatedly mentions that in Kaliyuga the yajna to be performed is the chanting of Holy Names: yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyairyajanti hi su-medhasaḥ[SB 11.5.32] Those who are highly intellectual, su-medhasaḥ, they perform the saṅkīrtana yajña, and by that saṅkīrtana yajña, the Lord, whose complexion is not black and who is always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and is accompanied by His associates, sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ. So in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, everything is being performed according to the scriptural injunction. It is not that we are manufacturing something.

If yajna is not performed where is the question of food grains or feeding the poor.

As far as the mind goes, I remember my older brother, the family prankster stealthily recording all our conversations and playing them back for us to hear. Sure, we laughed at some things which we said and were angry with others who said things about us but mostly we were embarrassed for saying things about others. I also remember hearing a long time ago, my English teacher explaining in his inimitable way about the working of the mind as that which goes on between the two ears. If one does record it all and plays it back it will bring out all the negativity and filth that we carry. One can try reasoning with the mind. "Ah! my friend japa in the morning means one-on-one time with my spiritual master, something which I crave and compete for in his physical presence." One can try engaging it in the service of Krishna, but if all else fails beating the mind black and blue with shoes and brooms seems the only way. " But wait should I use the blue sneakers or the black sandals?" Oh! N0!, here we go again.

Yato yato niscalati manas cancalam asthiram. [Bg 6.26]

With this being said, off we go for the concluding day of the 36 hour kirtan, being broadcast live on Planetiskcon.com.

Equal opportunity provider

Guru Maharaj used to often mention in his lectures that Maya devi is an equal opportunity provider, and doesn't spare anyone. I felt that this was so relevant to the recently concluded Valentine's day celebrations held at my daughter's school. While, casually glancing at the cards and candies it did seem cute. On deeper introspection it just was another consumerist propaganda targetting these 5 and 6 year olds, promoting Dora, Barbie and Spider man as icons.

While i hardly knew about Valentine's day till in my Masters course, (Really, i am not a fossil but time does seem to be racing past) they are getting exposed to something totally unnecessary at such a young age! Though not overly worried about this event it makes me ponder about the absurdity and impersonalism hiding under the glossy packaged hearts.

My daughter, not to be left behind got into activity mode and made a card replete with cakes, cookies and flowers and who was this for? It was for Baladeva. She has taken a liking to Baladeva and thought she would present Him with a card. I was happy to say the least, for, i was listening to a class on Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day where the speaker (which happened to be by my husband) was mentioning about acquiring the mercy of Nityananda Rama or Balarama in destroying Hridaya durbalya or weakness of the heart. He was saying how one has to approach Balarama specifically to weed out this weakness of the heart and rid it of all the evil propensities and the misconceptions associated with mundane existance. In order to be free from this it requires strength and special effort and who else is a reservoir of strength other than Balarama. I pray to Him that he protect this desire in her heart and carry it forward to her future years in time so that she remains untouched by the lure of these materialistic misconceptions.

Today when i was reading my e-mail, where i receive a message from the yahoo groups Srilaprabhupada nectar, every day, i read this from Prabhupada to one of his disciples "Krishna is very merciful to His sincere devotees, but also we have to remember that maya is very strong. Therefore, we have to always be engaged in serving Krishna. At every moment we should be doing this or that service for Krishna's transcendental pleasure. If we do not remember this, then maya is right there to grab us. It all depends upon our leaning towards Krishna or towards maya. If you lean towards Krishna, you will be in Krishna consciousness; and if you lean towards maya, then you will be captivated by material nature. Krishna and maya are just like light and shadow which are directly next to one another. If you move a little this way, you are in light and there is no question of shadow. But if you move a little the other way, you are in darkness. So if we remember to always be engaged in Krishna's service, then there will be no maya and everything will be all right. Please always remember this great secret of advancement in Krishna consciousness."

Now as a parent the onus is on me that i make sure that we serve Krishna and Balarama every single day, to water this sprout of love and devotion.

AAA

Watching our car being towed away by the American Automobile Association or triple A as it is commonly referred to, I was thinking how in our own devotional life we are each bestowed with association of the AAA. The AAA is best known for its emergency services, it also guides us to our destination by way of road maps and even offers insurance facilities. Likewise, in the journey of life Krishna is manifest as Sadhu, Sastra and Guru but we have to apply for a membership, activate it and then utilize it to the best advantage. The AAA charges our batteries when they are down, so do Sadhu Sastra and Guru. The AAA provides us maps to make our travel easier, the sastras guide us in countless ways and the Guru from within and without guides us to our ultimate destination. Who can provide us life insurance better than the Sadhu, Sastra and Guru. By affirming our commitment to the devotional process, we are insuring our lives and that of generations in the family.

As Srila Prabhupada has explained:"Sadhu sastra, guru vakya, tinete kariya aikya. Spiritual realization can be perfected by three parallel process. Sadhu. Sadhu means saintly persons, who are realized souls, sadhu. And sastra. Sastra means scriptures, authoritative scriptures, Vedic scriptures, sastra. Sadhu, sastra, and guru, a spiritual master. Three parallel line. And if you place your car or vehicle on these three parallel line, your car will go direct to Krsna. Tinete kariya aikya. Just like in the railway line you see two parallel lines. If they are in order, the railway carriages are carried very smoothly to the destination. Here also, there are three parallel lines--sadhu, sastra, guru: saintly person, association of saintly person, acceptance of bona fide spiritual master, and faith in the scriptures. That's all. Then your carriage will be going nicely, without any disturbance."
Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 10-18-68, Seattle

Winds of Change.

My neighbor's neatly maintained lawn resembled a rubbish heap. Empty Styrofoam cups floated around. The kids broke out in a frenzy running around flapping their arms. The dry winter leaves flew in the air looking like a flock of sparrows. Plastic bags hung from tree branches and the wind howled and roared at times as if making an announcement. "Who is that?" questioned the little girl. In the whole universe where everything is personal and a manifestation of the energy of Krishna, the wind too is a person. I was simultaneously awestruck by the dance of the leaves and frightened by the noise of the blowing winds. Weather forecasts reported hundreds of people were rendered power less. Aren't we powerless against the forces of nature anyway? Here was the often quoted Adhidaivik force at work. Though the storm chasers believe that the early onset of high velocity winds, tornadoes etc. is due to the effects of global warming, I wanted to find out more about the cause of natural disasters and it is interesting how our literature provides an answer for everything.

According to the science of Vedic Astrology, the deity of storm, wind and the hunt is believed to be Rudra and the meaning of which is to cry out loud. No wonder then that the winds made this loud wailing sound creating a kind of fear.

Reminded of Trinavrta who represents the false pride that arises from material scholarship, which gives rise to deviant philosophies, I turned to Srimad Bhagavatam and found that in his purport to 3.17.5 dealing with the birth of asuras Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha, Srila Prabhupada has explained lucidly the reason for such natural disasters.

There blew winds which were most uninviting to the touch, hissing again and again and uprooting gigantic trees. They had storms for their armies and clouds of dust for their ensigns.
PURPORT
When there are natural disturbances like blowing cyclones, too much heat or snowfall, and uprooting of trees by hurricanes, it is to be understood that the demoniac population is increasing and so the natural disturbance is also taking place. There are many countries on the globe, even at the present moment, where all these disturbances are current. This is true all over the world. There is insufficient sunshine, and there are always clouds in the sky, snowfall and severe cold. These assure that such places are inhabited by demoniac people who are accustomed to all kinds of forbidden, sinful activity.

These are winds that signify a change in the already degraded Kaliyuga, winds that howl and announce the birth of deviant philosophies and false pride.

Liberation comes only through Kirtana, the only good quality in this ocean of faults.

Kaler dosha nidhe rajan astihy eko mahan gunah

Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta sangah param vrajet.

Gauranga (Golden) Jubilee.

Every occasion is an opportunity to glorify Krishna. Today happens to be the starting of the fiftieth year of marriage of my parents. The golden Jubilee year. Interestingly, i was reading the meaning of Jubilee and came across this on the Webster's dictionary. Though it means a special anniversary, this one struck as a more apt meaning especially when in reference to marriage anniversary :"A special plenary indulgence granted during a year of jubilee to Roman Catholics who perform certain specified works of repentance and piety."
This was apt because; isn't marriage a manifestation of karma where the two souls come together to sort out underlying issues and ultimately gain freedom from the repeated cycle of birth and death, through the performance of devotional service? In that sense it is indeed performance of 50 years of repentance and piety. The only difference is that of all the 50 years this year is special because Gauranga has entered their lives this year, in a more pronounced way, with their chanting of the Mahamantra on the beads as opposed to just chanting in the mind, making it the Gauranga Jubilee year.
I picked a class on Rukmini's marriage to hear today and Guru Maharaj, HH Bhakti Tirtha Swami was speaking on how one should not become laid back and complacent but forge ahead with the consciousness fixated on the ultimate goal. Because, in a world of impersonal, broken marriages where cheating is rampant, where marriages are based on individual decisions, lacking the support and blessings of friends and family, in the times of difficulty the family tends to break apart. Though opportunities for escape and rescue by Krishna are there, one has to constantly work and make themselves qualified to receive help. So, here, they have started the process of application for help from Krishna.

In this world, it is said that affection of a mother for a child comes closest to the definition of selflessness which is the underlying quality in all relationships in the spiritual world. I am not much of a poet/ess but several years ago, i wrote a poem to glorify these two personalities who are my parents in this lifetime, as an expression of my heartfelt appreciation to the values that they inculcated in me. Here it is, i even doubt if the word unconditionality exists in the dictionary, my spell check says it doesn't ..
Unconditionality
We use the term unconditional
The meaning we do not comprehend;
To me it means one simple thing
My parents personified.
For, as a child when I ran to you
With grubby cheeks and moist eyes so blue
You held me close to your chest,
Settling all my unrest.
Forgiving my follies as a youth,
You gently pointed the way of truth
Nursing me when I was ill,
You watched over me till I slept still
Filling my heart with a warmth unknown
Yet so familiar that only parents can own
Listening to my endless banter,
With smiling eyes and kind words to offer
You never ridiculed my imperfections and sorrow
I owe you my today and tomorrow
Is this not an embodiment of divinity?
Parents - Aren't they personified Unconditionality?