The work that can be accomplished by God's grace, can never be accomplished by our wisdom and strength

The work that can be accomplished by God's grace, can never be accomplished by our wisdom and strength. However, until you do not put your complete effort, till then the geniune prayer that takes place within, will not happen. This is because on applying your full strength and effort, when one experiences a feeling of being helpless and without any strength or power, then reliance on one's own strength, capabilities, power, abilities, effort will break off, and once this happens, geniune prayer will take place.

Buddhirvikunthataa Naath Samaaptaa mama yuktayah |

When our intellect feels overwhelmed, when our abilites, our effort fails, at such time, geniune prayer takes place, or else a subtle element of pride of our strength that remains makes one pray superficially. Such false prayer will not do. When people say that we have prayed but nothing whatsoever has happened (no effect whatsoever), then in fact, geniune prayer has not taken place ! Prayer is not something that is done, it happens from within, in other words, it happens by the Self axiomatically and automatically. If the praying is from within, then immediately the work will happen.

When there is reliance of some sort on our own strength, abilities, position, knowledge, wisdom, caste, stage in life, particular group / organization, then neither geniune prayer will take place, nor geniune surrendering to God will happen. Because as long as there is reliance on one's strength, abilities, etc., a subtle egoism persists. As long as there is egoism, geniune prayer or geniune surrendering to God will not happen. And without geniune prayer and surrendering, the work will not happen.

When one experiences a total feeling of helplessness (i.e. feeling of being without any strength or abilities), then geniune prayer and geniune refuge in the Lord will take place - "Sune ri mein ne nirbal ke bal Ram." The meaning of helplessness (without any strength whatsoever) does not mean that our body has turned weak, there is no strength in it, we become ill. Rather it mean that we are feeling a sense of hopelessness with our own strength, there remains not the slightest bit of dependency, reliance or pride of our own strength. There is feeling of complete hopelessness with regards to power of the intellect, the mind, our wealth, our body, our education etc., and there is intense and single-pointed hope in attaining only God, then the prayer will work.

From "Praarthnaa Aur Sharanagati" in Hindi pg 53-55 by Swami Ramsukhdasji

The work that can be accomplished by God's grace, can never be accomplished by our wisdom and strength

The work that can be accomplished by God's grace, can never be accomplished by our wisdom and strength. However, until you do not put your complete effort, till then the geniune prayer that takes place within, will not happen. This is because on applying your full strength and effort, when one experiences a feeling of being helpless and without any strength or power, then reliance on one's own strength, capabilities, power, abilities, effort will break off, and once this happens, geniune prayer will take place.

Buddhirvikunthataa Naath Samaaptaa mama yuktayah |

When our intellect feels overwhelmed, when our abilites, our effort fails, at such time, geniune prayer takes place, or else a subtle element of pride of our strength that remains makes one pray superficially. Such false prayer will not do. When people say that we have prayed but nothing whatsoever has happened (no effect whatsoever), then in fact, geniune prayer has not taken place ! Prayer is not something that is done, it happens from within, in other words, it happens by the Self axiomatically and automatically. If the praying is from within, then immediately the work will happen.

When there is reliance of some sort on our own strength, abilities, position, knowledge, wisdom, caste, stage in life, particular group / organization, then neither geniune prayer will take place, nor geniune surrendering to God will happen. Because as long as there is reliance on one's strength, abilities, etc., a subtle egoism persists. As long as there is egoism, geniune prayer or geniune surrendering to God will not happen. And without geniune prayer and surrendering, the work will not happen.

When one experiences a total feeling of helplessness (i.e. feeling of being without any strength or abilities), then geniune prayer and geniune refuge in the Lord will take place - "Sune ri mein ne nirbal ke bal Ram." The meaning of helplessness (without any strength whatsoever) does not mean that our body has turned weak, there is no strength in it, we become ill. Rather it mean that we are feeling a sense of hopelessness with our own strength, there remains not the slightest bit of dependency, reliance or pride of our own strength. There is feeling of complete hopelessness with regards to power of the intellect, the mind, our wealth, our body, our education etc., and there is intense and single-pointed hope in attaining only God, then the prayer will work.

From "Praarthnaa Aur Sharanagati" in Hindi pg 53-55 by Swami Ramsukhdasji

Washing and Vedanta

The vice-chancellor of Benares Hindu University, a very famous man of his time named Madan Mohan Malaviya, went to the Gaudiya Math with some intricate, philosophical questions to present to Sarasvati Thakura, who said: "I won’t answer you, but you should ask the devotees who are washing the arati paraphernalia." The scholar then said: "No, I am asking very difficult questions about Vedanta. They won’t be able to answer!" Sarasvati Thakura, however, insisted that he go and ask the pujaris who were cleaning the deity paraphernalia.

So, being submissive to the will of Sarasvati Thakura, he went to ask them. When he approached them, they said, "Well, now we are busy washing these plates, but please help us, and when we have finished your question will be answered." Even though he was such a famous, respectable man, he agreed to join in and help do this humble service. After all the brass was cleaned, he returned to Sarasavati Thakura without saying anything more to the pujaris. Sarasvati Thakura then asked him, "Did you get the answer to your questions?" Madan Mohan Malaviya replied, "Yes, even without discussion. When I was helping clean the arati paraphernalia the answers automatically came to my mind."

What is the moral of this event ?

Sarasvati Thakura replied :

1) "Yes, the philosophy of Krishna consciousness can be understood by an attitude of service, not by any amount of intellectualism. Sevonmukhe hi jihvado."

2) Just reading books and reciting slokas—that won’t help you.

3) Serving God will give us all the answers to the questions in the sastras. My guru, Gaura Kishore Das Babaji, was not literate, not a pundit, but all the slokas and siddhantas came to his mouth because he was sevonmukha, inclined to serve Krishna.

(Adapted from ISCKON leadership journal)

How we can apply this in our own lives ?

1) We need to essentially cultivate huge amount of real humility which is the essential quality to become a good devotee. For this, we need to make best use of our every possible opportunity in life to humble ourselves.

2) We need to cultivate real submission to our spiritual authorities since only and only then alone we can progress in our devotional life, otherwise not.
3) We must understand that our real goal is not to become mundane scholars, but to become good devotees of God, and all our knowledge should essentially culminate in Bhakti – love of God. Otherwise, the real purpose of our knowledge is defeated.

Source of the story :            Page 2 and 3 from the book  ‘Tales of wisdom’  of the         Vaishnava Seva Kendra

My humble request to you, please !

Dear Prabhu Jee/Maathaa Jee,


Hare Krishna !

If you find this useful, please circulate it to as many people as possible.

Never Forget Krishna

A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it every day. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap in its shade.... He loved the tree, and the tree loved to play with him.

Time went by. The little boy grew up, and he no longer played around the tree every day. One day, the boy came back to the tree with a sad look on his face.

"Come and play with me," the tree asked the boy.

"I am no longer a kid, I don’t play around trees anymore." The boy replied, "I want toys. I need money to buy them."

"Sorry, I don’t have money... but you can pick all my apples and sell them so you will have money."

The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy didn’t come back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.

One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited.

"Come and play with me," the tree said.

"I don’t have time to play. I have to work for my family.

We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?"

"Sorry, I don’t have a house, but you can chop off my branches to build your house."

So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy, but the boy didn’t come back afterward. The tree was again lonely and sad.

One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted.

"Come and play with me," the tree said.

"I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?"

"Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy."

So the boy cut the tree truck to make a boat. He went sailing and didn’t come back for a long time.

Finally, the boy returned after he had been gone for many years. "Sorry, my boy. But I don’t have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you," the tree said.

"I don’t have teeth to bite," the boy replied.

"No more trunk for you to climb on."

"I am too old for that now" the boy said. "I really can’t give you anything... the only thing left is my dying roots," the tree said with sadness.

"I don’t need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years," the boy replied.

"Good! Old tree roots are the best thing to lean on and rest. Come sit down with me and rest."


The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears.

This story is everyone´s.

The tree is God, of course.

What is the moral of the story ?

01) God can never be depleted.

02) He is never affected by our lack of care.

03) As we get more entangled in material life, we leave Him.

04) We come to Him only when we need something or when we are in trouble.

05) No matter what, Krishna will always be there for us to love us and to help us – unconditionally !!!

06) It may seem as if the way the boy treats the "tree" in the story is cruel, but many of us take God for granted in the same manner.

07) Never forget how important it is in your life to be grateful to Krishna for what all He has been so mercifully giving us, not only now, but since time immemorial and continue to give us eternally.

08) Keep on regularly expressing our deep gratitude to Him.

09) And keep on incessantly praying for His causeless mercy.


Source : ‘Tales of wisdom’, page No. 6 to 8, by Vaishnava Seva Kendra,