God's Gift to this world

All Pervading Sri Krishna

The ring, the bracelet and the earrings are made of gold. If you look at their external shapes you only see these shapes, if you look deeper you can see the gold that is the substratum within all of them. Remove the boundary between two fields, and there is only one field. Boundaries and divisions are artificial, and created by man.

When we stop fanning ourselves with a handheld fan, the flow of air stops. But it doesn't mean there is no air. When a light bulb burns out or a fan stops turning, it doesn't mean that there is no electricity. God is everywhere as Nirakara Brahman . He is both formless ( Nirakar) and with form ( Saguna Brahman or Bhagavan Sri Krishna) .

It is difficult for a person to connect with the formless "Nirguna Brahman" through Hatha-yoga and meditation , which need to be taught by God realized Rishis . It takes many years to attain these skills . Moreover, in this Kali-yuga , Rishis are not readily available .

Knowing these difficulties, the Supreme God has made Himself available as Sri Krishna . Bhagavan Sri Krishna is God's gift to this world . Just by surrendering to Bhagavan ( SaranAgati) and chanting His names ( Nama-japa) , a Bhakta can easily attain Sri Krishna .

Krishna Experience

Will you get any milk by pressing the ears of a cow? Can you say there is milk in all parts of her body? Only her udder contains milk for us to drink, and we will get that only if we milk her. It's true that Bhagavan Krishna is everywhere, but to actually experience Him we have to connect to Him through Deity worship and Nama-japa .

"Worldly pleasures are like a candy that gives sweetness now, but ruins your teeth later. If you know Sri Krishna , you can enjoy sweetness all the time – and it is most beneficial to your body ,soul and your family .

Surrendering

Sri Krishna is the one who purifies your mind. Take refuge in Him and chant His names with faith . The names of Krishna will clean the dirt of your mind. Only Nama-japa can cleanse you.

Once we board a train, do we continue to carry our load and complain about how heavy it is? Take refuge in Sri Krishna and surrender everything to Bhagavan .

Please chant :

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

And be happy !!!

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!! !

It is a sin', even knowing this a man commits sin.

Gita 3-38
Link: — `It is a sin', even knowing this a man commits sin. What is the reason that this knowledge does not help? The Lord explains in the next two verses.

dhumenavriyate vahni, yathadarso malena ca
yatholbenavrto garbhas, tatha tenedam avrtam

"As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo is enveloped by the womb, so is this knowledge concealed by desire." 38

Comment: —

`Dhumenavriyate vahnihÌ£' — As fire is covered by smoke, so is this knowledge, (discrimination) covered by desire.

Discrimination is revealed in the intellect. There are three divisions of intellect—of the nature of `goodness' (Sattvika), of `passion' (Rajas) and of `ignorance' (Tamas). The intellect by which one knows, what ought to be done and what ought not to be done is of the nature of `goodness'. The intellect, by which one wrongly understands, what ought to be done and what ought not to be done is of the nature of `passion', while the intellect by which one sees all things in a perverted way (contrary to the truth) is, of the nature of `ignorance' (Gita 18/30—32). When desire is born, even the intellect of goodness (Sattvika) is covered by desire, as fire by smoke, then the intellect of the mode of passion (Rajas) and ignorance (tamas) will definitely be covered by it, of which there is no doubt.

As soon as, a desire is born, one's spiritual path is covered with its smoke. If it is given scope for enhancement, it makes the path totally dark. By thinking that the desired objects are deserting us constantly, we can destroy desires.

We have desire to acquire the worldly objects, because these appear to be beautiful and charming. The desire veils our discrimination, which is a privilege of human birth. Just as, fire can burn even when it is covered with smoke, so can discrimination work, if a man becomes alert and cautious, as soon as desire is born. A man can get rid of desire at the outset, by thinking of the kaleidoscopic and transitory nature, of the worldly objects etc., which he wants to acquire.

`Yathadar´so malenaca'—When dirt accumulates on the surface of a mirror, it cannot reflect an object. Similarly, the dirt of desire, covers knowledge (discrimination), and an aspirant cannot decide what he ought to do and what he ought not to do. Because of desire, he hankers after worldly pleasures and prosperity, and he has a downfall. This is the second stage of desire.

An aspirant should realize that it is not a thing, but its proper use which is significant. So, instead of having a desire to acquire more and more, he should think to make a proper use of it. Moreover, he cannot acquire objects merely by desire.

The less importance he will attach to the worldly objects, the more importance he will attach to God. When he stops attaching importance to the worldly objects altogether, he will realize God and desire will be totally eliminated.

`YatholbenavrÌ£to garbhah'—When, dirt accumulates on the surface of a mirror, even though it does not reflect a face, yet it can be known that it is a mirror. But when an embryo is covered by the womb, it cannot be known, whether the child is male or female. Similarly, knowledge (discrimination) is, so much veiled at this third stage, that he totally forgets his duty and his desire is intensified.

If desire is not satisfied, it gives birth to anger. From anger arises delusion; from delusion there is destruction of discrimination; from destruction of descrimination one does not do, what ought to be done, but indulges in evil acts, such as falsehood, fraud, dishonesty, injustice, oppression and other sinful acts. The Lord does not want to call such people, human beings (men). Therefore, the Lord while describing such people, in the sixteenth chapter (from the eighth to the eighteenth verses), has not used any such word which stands for human beings. The Lord has called the people, who have heaven as their goal, `Kamatmanaḥ' (desire incarnate) (Gita 2/43), because they are the embodiments of desires. Having identified themselves with desires, they hold that there is no higher aim than the gratification of desires (Gita 16/11).

[When desires are strengthened, a man totally forgets, that the real aim of human life is God-realization. But if due to past influences or good company, or any other factor, he comes to know the real aim of human life, he can attain salvation or God-realization.]

`—In this verse, the Lord has given three illustrations, pertaining to the covering of discrimination by desire. It means that discrimination is covered by desire, in three stages. But those who hold that desire is the cause of happiness, and so depend on it, cannot renounce it (desire), while aspirants who practise spiritual discipline, know it in its reality and can root it out.

The Lord here, has described the three stages of desire, so that a aspirant may kill the enemy, in the form of desire, as directed by Him, in the forty-first and forty-third verses of this chapter. In fact, desire crosses the first two stages so quickly, that a man cannot perceive these phases. Then desire leads him, to all sorts of sins and sufferings. Therefore, an aspirant should not allow a desire to arise through discrimination. But if it is born, it should be renounced either in the first or the second stage, it should not be allowed to reach the third stage.

From "The Bhagavad Gita - Sadhak Sanjivani" in Hindi by Swami Ramsukhdasji

“I am not this Body.” Easy to say…

The body is a machine, like a motor car is a machine. I am within this body as the driver is within the motor car.

Now the motor car has many needs. It needs gas, it needs oil, it needs to have it’s tires pumped up and so on. But if one forgets the driver in the car and simply concentrates on the machine and the needs of the machine the driver will not be satisfied.

He will be sitting in the car starving. Because the food of the driver is different from the food of the car. You can not feed the driver gas. His food is different.

So we are the driver of this body. This body has so many needs, but these bodily needs are different from our needs, we are the driver of the body, the soul within the body, “the ghost in the machine…”

So our idea is to satisfy the bodily needs only as much as necessary to maintain the body in a healthy condition and spend the rest of our time and energy in spiritual activities which help us to reawaken our original spiritual consciousness, these are our real needs, the needs of the soul.

It is not that we do not eat, or sleep, or have sex or defend, but these things are done in a regulated way to maintain the body in a healthy condition. But as the motor car is simply a vehicle which is meant to transport the driver to his destination, we see this material body as a vehicle which can be used to transport the driver–the soul–to his ultimate destination: back home, back to Godhead.

If we spend all our time trying to satisfy the senses of our body we will waste all our time and energy in this way and become completely distracted from the real purpose of life which is to get out of this material world and get back home to the spiritual world where we will get an eternally youthful spiritual body full of knowledge and full of pleasure… Then we will really be happy…

All right. I shall not do this, which will produce reaction.

visaya vinivartante
niraharasya dehinah
rasa-varjam raso 'py asya
param drstva nivartate
[Bg. 9.59]

Now negation. Negation. "All right. I shall not do this, which will produce reaction." That, I mean to say, forceful negation will not stand. "I shall not do this." Or, for example, take the small incident of our life, eating. Now, because eating has reaction, because whatever I am eating I have to repay for that... Either you eat vegetable or flesh, that doesn't matter. "Then let me... I shall not eat." Oh, that cannot be. How you cannot eat? You cannot do it. If you have to live, then you have to eat. So here the Lord says, visaya vinivartante niraharasya dehinah. Just like a person is diseased. He is advised by the doctor that "You shall not take such and such things." So he is starving or he is fasting. Suppose in the typhoid fever the doctor has advised him not to take any solid food. So under the instruction of the doctor, he is not taking any solid food. But suppose his brother is eating some bread. Oh, he likes that "If I could eat." But that means within himself... He is, by force, by the instruction of the physician, he is forced not to eat. But within himself he has got the tendency for eating. But out of fear that "If I eat, there will be very bad reaction of taking solid food," therefore, by force, he is not eating. Similarly, there are so many things which you are refrain from doing by force. No. That sort of abstinence will not make you progressive in spiritual life, by force. No. By force I cannot... Because you are independent. . Every individual being has got his little portion of independence. So anything cannot be done by forcing you. No. Even you cannot force even a child.. He has got his independence. He'll revolt if you force him. So here it is said that visaya vinivartante. One may be refraining from enjoying materially by somehow or other, by force... Niraharasya dehinah, rasa-varjam raso 'py asya param drstva nivartate. But one who is spiritually advanced, he is not forced. He is voluntarily giving up. That is the difference. Voluntarily giving up. How? Why voluntarily giving up? Now, param drstva nivartate. He has found something sublime, so sublime that he doesn't care for material enjoyment. He is not forced. He voluntarily gives up. That is the criterion of spiritual life. There is no force. Just like there is a nice verse given by Yamunacarya. Yamunacarya, he was a great emperor, but later on, he became a great devotee of the Lord under the disciplic succession. Now, he has got very nice verses written by him. One of the verses is stated like this:

And what are the shackles of this prison life?

yada samharate cayam
kurmo 'nganiva sarvasah
indriyanindriyarthe bhyas
tasya prajna pratisthita
[Bg. 9.58]

And what are the shackles of this prison life? The shackles of prison life... Just like in ordinary prison, prisoner.... Of course, I do not know what is the case here of prison life, but I have seen. Sometimes in New Delhi I was invited to give some good lessons to the prisoners. So I have seen so many prisoners. They were shackled with iron chains, iron chains. So we are also chained up here, and what is that chain? That is our sense enjoyment. Yes. We are chained in this material world by sense enjoyment. That's all. So if we want to cut our prison life, then the first symptom will be to minimize this sense enjoyment or to regulate the sense enjoyment. Here the Lord says that yada samharate cayam kurmo 'nganiva sarvasah. The example is given just like the tortoise. The tortoise can close up, wind up his senses as he likes. That means he becomes the master of the senses. He does not like to be the servant of the senses. So this, I mean to say, verse, we have already discussed. So indriyanindriyarthe bhyas tasya prajna pratisthita. One who is practiced to control his senses... Senses are not to be stopped. They are to be used at proper time, but not at the dictation of the senses. When one comes to that standard of life, that he is not dictated by the senses but he uses senses when it is properly required... Senses are not to be stopped. That is not prescribed. That is not prescribed. Somebody says that sense control means to use, to stop the action of the senses. No. Senses, action of the senses, cannot be stopped. Simply it has to be purified. The action of the senses has to be purified. That is the whole process. Because as spiritual living entity, we have got our spiritual senses. Those senses are now covered by this matter. We are not senseless. Just like your coat. Your coat is cut according to your hands. Because the coat, you will see, the coat has also got a hand. And why coat has got a hand? Because the user of the coat, he has got a hand. The coat is cut according to the hand of the user of the body. Similarly, this material body has been described in the Bhagavad-gita as dress. So unless I have got body, wherefrom the dress comes? Dress has no meaning unless I have got body.

So senses are there, and those senses are required to be used; otherwise there is no meaning of senses. But that is spiritual. So senses have to be engaged in the spiritual activities. That is spiritual life, spiritual life. The example, as I have already explained to you many times, just like Arjuna. He wanted to control his senses to refrain from fighting. When you fight, you require to engage your senses. He said that "I will not fight." That means he is controlling his senses from fighting. But after hearing Bhagavad-gita, he says, "Yes, I'll fight." Just see. Before hearing Bhagavad-gita, the position of Arjuna, that "I," "I will not fight," and after hearing Bhagavad-gita, the position of "I," "Yes, I will fight." Two contradictory. Before hearing Bhagavad-gita, the position of "I" was negative, and people may estimate this nonviolence attitude of Arjuna very nicely. But after Bhagavad-gita, after hearing Bhagavad-gita, he said, "Yes." Karisye vacanam tava: [Bg. 18.73] "Yes, I shall fight." Now, do you mean to tell that he degraded? First of all he was nonviolent. He was not willing to fight. Now he has degraded after hearing Bhagavad-gita? Is it..., is the conclusion? No. He has improved. He has improved. Why he has improved? Because he has understood how to use the senses. That's all. In the beginning he did not know how to use the senses. Therefore he decided, "I shall not fight. I shall not fight." That is his material calculation.

So our material calculation is all nonsense.. Our material calculation of our activities, they are all nonsense. They are all causes of our bondage. And when the same senses, they are engaged in the service of the Supreme, that is our freedom. Kamah krsna-karmarpane. Here the same thing is indirectly explained. Yada samharate cayam kurmo 'nganiva. One should know "When I shall properly use the senses." That is the sign of a person who is situated in pure consciousness. He knows properly, "How to use my senses." That is the difference by the instruction of Bhagavad-gita, we'll find, that in the beginning Arjuna did not know how to use his senses, and after hearing Bhagavad-gita, he learned it. He became a learned man, how to use his senses. And when he did not know how to use his senses, he said, "I shall not fight." And when he learned how to use senses, he said, "Yes, I'll fight." Now, what is the difference between "yes" and "no"? That means when our senses are engaged in the service of the supreme consciousness, then we are in pure consciousness situation. And when our senses are used to our whims, to our whims. Just like in the previous sloka it has been explained, prajahati yada kaman sarvan partha mano-gatan. We manufacture plans by our mental concoction. That should be given up. Yada prajahati kaman sarvan. All kinds of mental concoction, mental speculation, should be given up. That is the science. That is the beginning of our spiritual life, that "I shall not use my mind for my activities. I shall wait for the direction from the higher authority, supreme consciousness. Then I shall act."

Just like a soldier, he is simply awaiting the order of the commander. Then his activities are approved, "Oh, he is doing nicely. Yes." By the approval of the commander, he is killing as many persons, and by this killing art, he is being rewarded, "Oh, you are a good soldier." But that killing, if he does for his personal interest, even he kills one man, he is hanged -- by the same state. By the same state for which he is engaged in fighting, if he kills enemies, he is rewarded. He is awarded gold medal, recognition. And that very person, out of the war field, when he comes home, if he kills one man, then he is hanged. If he says that "The same killing I was doing in the war field, and same killing I have done. There I was killing hundreds and thousands of men. I was awarded gold medal. And here I have killed only one person. I am being hanged? What is this?" No. You have killed according to your own whims, and that is from the superior order. That is the difference. Similarly, if we do, if we act according to our mental speculation or mental whims, then we are bound up by the reaction. And if we practice ourself to be active under the direction of the Supreme, then we are free. This is the art. This is the whole art of spiritual life.

So we have to practice. We have to practice it in our everything. Because for so long we are in this material body, we have got so many material demands. We cannot stop the activities of the body. That is not possible. By force, if I stop all the activities of my body, that is not possible. That is not possible. The bodily activities will go on, but the bodily activities will be so performed that I'll not be bound up by the reaction. And that is called devotional service. That is called

Experience of Being Separate from this Body

God has endowed man with ample of ammunition for attaining his salvation. Rather He has given more than is essential. He has given a long life. Salvation is possible in minutes, but for that he has given years. With a little inquiry one can attain salvation, but he has give a lot of power of inquiry and contemplation. He has given ample of instruments by which man can attain his salvation several times over! Whereas, once salvation is attained, there is no need for attaining it a second time. God has given man, such extra-ordinary things. Just as when you inquire on this one point - you have clear knowledge that from childhood till today, the place, time, thing, individual, situation, incidents all changed, but you are the same. Leave all that changes, and that which does not change, grab hold of it then right now, at this very moment you can attain salvation. That which changes is not my true Self (swaroop) and that which does not change is my true Self. That is all the work there is.

In many circumstances, in many incidents, you remained one. After traveling in various countries, then too you remained one. After a significant passage of time, then too you remained the same. Even if everything changes, then too you remained the same. That which remains the same, that which does not change, you see it by separating it from the one that is changing, then that is it, Essential Knowledge, Truth is realized. But if you blend the two and see, then it is ignorance.

Those brothers and sisters that are engaged in spiritual disciplines, their minds have one point strongly ingrained in them, that this mind should become free of all modifications (changes), that it remain unaffected in an situations or incidents then realization of essential knowledge will take place. But if they are affected in situations, then realization has not taken place. Understand this point very well, that who is affected? The impressions are made on the mind, on the intellects, on the body on the sense organs, but the Self remains unaffected. Money came, you benefited, your mind became happy, and when you lost the money, you suffered losses, and then your mind became unhappy. In gains and losses the mind was affected in two different ways, but you remained as-is. Is it possible that you were different one when you have gains and different one when you had losses? If you weren't the same one, than who would have had the knowledge of both the gains and the losses. You remain equanimous. You remain one. There is no affect on you at all. The affect is on the mind-intellect.

A Self Realized great soul who is free from birth and death, he too becomes from a youth to an old man, and may not be able to see or hear as well, may not be able to walk and move around easily, but is there any changes in his knowledge? Body, senses, mind, intellect - these all are the kind that are changing. Among these if some changed, some had an affect of them, then what happened? You blend with these and consider yourself to have become happy and sad - this is he main mistake. You remain firm on the point that I am the very same one. The one that was present during happy times, that very same one I am during the unhappy moments and vice-versa. In this way, by not blending with that which comes and goes, to remain established in the Self is to be "swasth". "Samdukhahsukhah swastah" (Gita 14/24). Becoming happy and sad by blending with that which comes and goes, is to remain established in Prakruti (Nature). "purushah prakritishtho hi bhukte" (gita 13/21). You are not established in Nature at all, but knowingly you become established in it. You are neither in happiness, nor is unhappiness, nor in gains, nor in losses, nor in any birth, nor in any death.

You are separate from all of this. Intentionally you pull it and draw it close to you and become happy and unhappy; and then you say that I cannot seem to get enlightened! You only remain firm on this one point, that I am that very same one. If there are gains then too I am the same one, if there are losses then too I am the same one. You become established in the Self (Swa). That Self (Swa) is eternally without any modifications. There is no changes in the Self. All changes are in the inner faculties and by blending with them you too consider yourself as undergoing all these modifications and become happy and sad.

Whether some good thoughts come to mind, or some bad thoughts, whether deep regrets, or worries, whether you are elated, whether you are attracted, or whether there is aversion - in spite of all this happening, you remain established in the self. Do not mingle with it. By blending with it, is becoming established in the world (in nature). On becoming established in nature, you will incur sins, you will have to suffer, and in turn you will have to go through 8.4 million birth cycles, they may be hell, there will be birth and death - "kaaran gunasangosya sadsadyonijanmasu" (gita 13/21).

Therefore that which takes place, that which turns bad, that which comes, that which goes, seeing all of this, remain established in the Self, as you are the seer of everything (i.e. separate from the act). In happy times also you are the seer, and in unhappy times also you are the seer. You see the union also and you see the separation also. The seer is separate the object being seen - this is a rule. Therefore what difference has it made to you, the seer? You have remained As-Is, the same.