End - Anta - Bhakti Siddh Anta
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
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 aratiparaphernalia." 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 thepujaris. 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 thearati 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 wassevonmukha, 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.
Beat
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that when a devotee
- wakes up in the morning he should beat his mind with a shoe a hundred times. Since the mind tends to be very puffed up, it must be beaten to keep it in the proper humble state.
- In the evening the mind should be beaten with a broomstick another hundred times. The mind is like a wild animal captured from the jungle, it is never fully dependable.
If it gets the chance it will run off into the jungle again. Similarly, if the mind is not kept on a tight rope, it will wander off into material engagements and inadvertently one will lose the jewel of Krsna consciousness.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => VK: Verse Eight
Friday, December 12, 2014
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Master to Disciple
Prabhupad always said - "I have no ability. I'm only simply following the instructions of my Guru Maharaj and it is only by his mercy alone that I am able to do everything." Thus, he was an object of his Guru's mercy. In a span of 11 years, Srila Prabhupad
- initiated 5000 disciples all around the world,
- built 108 temples all around the world,
- created many farm communities all around the world,
- gave 2200 lectures all around the world,
- wrote 7000 letters to his disciples and well wishers,
- recorded 20 albums,
- wrote 72 volumes of books. And with all these he still had time to play with the little children, sit up every night writing books and also had separate time for his personal reading. And Srila Prabhupad says - all this is not my strength, it is the potency of my Guru.
Mango
At the age of 5, he happened to eat a mango which happened to be not offered to Krsna. His father, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur, told him that it was a great offense to eat without offering to the Lord. From that day he gave up eating Mangoes for the rest of his life for having committed this offense.
Billion
In his teens, he had received the title 'Siddhanta Saraswati'. He also took a vow of chanting 1 billion names of the Lord. For this, he chanted everyday 3 lakh names for upto 9 years and 4 months at Mayapur in a hut which he had built with his own hands. When it rained, he would sit with an umbrella and continue chanting. He chanted eating only once a day, that too plain rice without any salt.
Milk
Once a desire to have milk entered his mind. And he realised that this was sense gratification. He regretted his desire. But the Lord arranged that a wealthy man bring a huge quantity of milk, which was cooked and offered to Lord Gauranga. And the Pujari brought this Mahaprasad milk to Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarawati Thakur. When he recieved the offering, he felt very remorse that the Lord took so much trouble to just satisfy his one little desire. He condemned himself for having made the Lord do seva to him.
He states - We can do seva for Hari, but Hari should not do seva to us. (We should not make Hari do seva to us). He always felt the whole world is engaged in serving Hari, except himself.
Clocks
On 1st Jan, when he was 62 years and 10 months of age, at morning 5.30am, his servant heard him say - Oh Krsna, Oh Krsna - and he left this mortal world. And all the clocks in the ashram stopped at that very time.
Kashi
He was so strong and bold and tough and always RIGHT in all his debates, that the opposing scholars were always afraid to face him. So it happened that one day he was invited at Kashi for a debate . He accepted the invitation - I'm ready, i'll come.
- Half an hour later, one of them came and told him that he should not refer to Srimad Bhagavatam in his debate. He said - Ok, I'm ready.
- Then again after half an hour they said - you cannot refer to Ramayan and Mahabharat too. He said - Yes, I'm ready.
- Then again after half an hour they said - You also cannot refer to any of the Vedas. You have to refer to the Vedanta Sutra only. He said - Yes, I'm ready.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)