HARISHARANAM



ALL ARE REQUESTED TO KINDLY TAKE SHELTER/REFUGE UNDER THE LOTUS FEET OF LORD SRI KRISHNA AS HE IS THE ONLY SAVIOUR OF ALL LIVING BEINGS NOT ONLY ON THIS PLANET BUT ALL OVER THE UNLIMITED UNIVERSE. HARI CAN ONLY TAKE AWAY ALL THE MISERIES/SINS OF ALL THE JIVAS. WITHOUT HARI HOW CAN WE THINK OR FIND HAPPINESS/PEACE IN THIS WORLD ? IF YOU CANNOT TAKE SHARAN INTO HIS LOTUS FEET, THEN DON'T CRY WHEN YOU ARE IN TROUBLE.

Monday, August 30, 2010

The Confusion between Sakar (Form) And Nirakar (Formless) God.

Since the very olden days in India, there have always been the practice of worshipping God in both the forms i.e. Sakar and Nirakar. For attaining Samadhi also it refer to both these types i.e. Savikalpa (form) Samadhi and Nirvikalpa (formless) Samadhi. But in olden days there was no confusion among the people about these ways of worshipping. Our old rishis/saints had already written about them in detail in the scriptures which the common man would believe very easily. But nowadays lot of confusion has started among the people because our old and most sacred scriptures like Srimad Bhagvad Gita and Srimad Bhagvatham are being looked with question and disbelief. Instead they have started believing the western based spiritual gurus, their teachings and theories, predictions etc. which is very sad and really very unfortunate. Specially the so-called educated and modernized/civilised city based people now don’t believe in any type of idol worship, mantras, rituals, festivals etc. and even question the authenticity of our epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, the existence of Lord Sri Rama and Lord Sri Krishna which is very shocking indeed. Instead they have started referring to formless (nirakar) God with some new names like unseen force or power, energy, consciousness etc. and would also make futile attempt to meditate on it. According to Srimad Bhagvad Gita, God is easily realised through sakar sadhna comparing to nirakar sadhna as lot of pain and patience is needed in the latter one (Ref. 12th Chapter-Bhakti Yog). I don’t understand when you don’t respect your elders how can you claim to be civilised or developed similarly our old scriptures are like our most oldest elders and the lifeline of our country and also the basis of our spiritual knowledge and without attaining this knowledge how can you claim to be spiritually enlightened? Without proper knowledge how devotion can arise? And without devotion how can you talk about nirakar (formless) God and/or consciousness.
To kill an evergreen tree forever it is necessary that you should cut it from the root so thats why the western gurus now suggests to not to believe our scriptures since they are our roots of our spiritualism. Somebody asked someone that when God is everywhere then why there are so many temples in India on that he answered that air is everywhere but why we still need a fan to feel it. In a same way God is everywhere but to see him / to feel him/to express our for love him/ to serve him we need a medium and an idol to connect to the almighty God. If we look back at our history we will find many incidents where God has shown lot of miracles through its idols in front of the devotees and even today those miracles are happening all over our country. Swami Vivekananda also had removed the illiteracy of Maharaja of Khetri about idol worship by telling him to spit on the oil painting picture of his Father. When he objected, he said why to worry it is only a piece of paper and it is not really his father but still he could not spit on it. Subsequently, the Swami clarified that the Maharaja cannot spit on it because spitting on it would make him feel as if he is spitting on his father himself similarly we feel the presence of our beloved the almighty God in the idols and love him as our father, master, friend, child, lover etc. How can you express the God in a nirakar form by merely giving him a name of consciousness or energy who cannot be expressed in words. It is like asking a dumb fellow to express the sweetness of jaggery. You are unconscious about our old traditions, idol worshipping, sacred scriptures, mantras, rituals and claim about God realization under the name of consciousness which is very funny. For this only one thing could be said that boasting and realization are two different things. Nirakar sadhna can only be achieved after knowing/feeling God through Sakar sadhna and after you know Him you stop talking/boasting. In Gita’s 11th Chapter, when Lord Sri Krishna showed Arjuna the Vishwaroopa, He told him that this Vishwaroop is only a small portion (say 1/4th) of His original form, actually it is so vast and endless (it has no starting or ending) that it is difficult for Arjuna to see and this vishwaroopa is only for the understanding of Arjuna. So from this we can make out that God is beyond our any kind of imagination and so we should stop getting confused over the issue of Sakar or Nirakar and instead we should concentrate on pure devotion.
Jai Govinda!

Monday, August 23, 2010

THE CONCEPT OF GURU (SPIRITUAL GUIDE)

Nowdays lot of people are coming into the spiritual world very often and very soon they loose their interest and would return back to the material world. Such persons enter the religious world due to different reasons such as imitating each other in workplace/relatives/friends/place of living, due to the personal problems, mental stress/agony etc. but the failure to continue in this world happens due to lack of proper devotion towards God/scriptures, lack of knowledge about the concept of Guru and subsequently devotion towards Guru. Everybody knows the literal meaning of Guru as one who takes you from darkness to light or one who guides you towards salvation. In my opinion, when a baby takes birth in this world, the most important thing he needs is his parents who take his utmost care and just because of them only that small baby subsequently grows up properly. Similarly, when a person enters the spiritual world for the first time, he needs Guru who with utmost care guide him how to proceed properly in the spiritual world and just because of Guru’s proper guidance and care only that person achieves his goal easily. For people like us we definitely need Guru in a physical (sakar) form as it is very difficult to concentrate on formless (nirakar- Ref. Srimad Bhagvadgita 12th Chapter). It is much easier to achieve Guru Bhakti if your Guru is in a physical form otherwise for the nirakar form lot of pain and patience is required. According to Srimad Bhagavatham Lord Ram/Lord Krishna who were the Supreme God even they also had Guru in a physical form because Lord himself had told in Gita that for him there is no karma or there is no need to do any karma but still he takes birth like a normal human being among us just to show how to live an ideal life or what are the basic duties of life in all aspects whether it is worldly life or spiritual life. Then after the avtaars many big saints and devotees have taken birth in our country and they also had Guru in a physical form. One famous saint of Bengal used to say that Brahman is in everywhere but it is only Guru in whom Brahman is specially visible and without whom’s anugraham or mercy it is absolutely impossible to know or see the Brahman. Therefore it is not sufficient just to know the literal meaning of Guru as Guru is beyond that. In Guru-Gita, it is said that Dhyan Moolam Guru Murti (for meditation Guru’s Physical form), Puja Moolam Guru Padam (for worshipping Guru’s feet again in physical form), Mantra Moolam Gurum Vakyam (for mantra look out for your Guru’s instructions/words), Moksha Moolam Guru Kripa (for Salvation is only by Guru’s pure anugraham). When knowledge about Guru or Guru’s greatness is not known then how bhakti for Guru will arise? And if Guru Bhakti is not there then how one will succeed in the spiritual field. It is said that if Sri Krishna is angry on you only Guru can save you from his anger but if Guru is angry on you then nobody in this universe can save you. It is also said that while doing sadhana if anybody commits any mistake in doing rituals or chanting mantras properly, it is only Guru who can save you from the wrath of the respective Devtas. In Srimad Bhagvad Gita also when Arjuna surrendered to Lord Krishna and asked him to become his Guru as He is only JagatGuru, Lord Krishna then only gave knowledge about Gita and the result of it is known to everybody. If you think yourself in a thick dense forest on a darkest night and you could not see or find your way to get out it, Guru only shows you the way by giving a sharp torch light and helps you out. And the most important thing, you are not so competent to find your own Guru, it is only Guru who finds you. You can only pray from the deepest core of your heart to the Lord to help you and he certainly does by coming in the form of Guru. That is why it is said that Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara, Guru Sakshat Parabrahma, Tasmayesree Gurave Namah.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Great Teachings by Sri Sri Ram Thakur

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA, KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HAREHARE RAMA HARE RAMA, RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

• The events of life flow down the stream that took its course at your birth (Prarabdha). Accept them without regret, take heed not to force the hand of Fate.
• Do the duties of life as penance, leaving the rest to the Guide - who will protect you from all the imbalance of prosperity and adversity.
• Live consciously in God with according ableness. The events come owing to the urges that initiated this life; meet them with resignation to the Guide, do your bit to the best of your ability, but give away neither to elation nor to depression.
• Man can have no control over the events of life till he shall have completely paid all his dues brought forward from the previous life.
• The word 'Samsara' means the world of becomings that obscures and eclipses Being, and consists of joys and sorrows that appear on the surface of the mind (only to disappear).
• Do not distress yourself : whatever God does must necessarily contribute to your good.
• He that adores the Lord with single-minded devotion does verily make a clean sweep of all the accumulated debris of life.
• Marriage, birth and death are all fated events, Fate being the arbiter in respect of each and every item of one's position in life. The time and the shape of things to be are all predetermined. Be in all circumstances vigilant with a view to submitting yourself to the God of Truth Who gives all the awards through the mechanism of Destiny that does never fail.
• The heart burns night and day in the fire of the faggot of desire. Have trust in God. All that rise and set are unreal. Know what is real and what unreal and you shall have done with your delusion.
• God and His Name are one - not different. To live by the Name is to abide in God. By uninterrupted abidance therein one is able to cross the bounds of dualistic knowledge and attain Peace and bliss.
• It is egoism in man that splits the unity of Being into kinsmen and strangers. In truth, no body in the world is other than your Self.
• No body can escape the consequences of his actions as determined by Fate, which should therefore be accepted as a matter of course. A man reaps as he has sown.
• Adore the God of Truth. He will always sustain and protect you. As fate wills it so are people encumbered by the experiences of life, which now give satisfaction, now discontent.
• Don't worry. Always try to live in submission to God. The world is a delusion which disappears as soon as the destined time series terminates. It is wrong to distress yourself over what fate has in store for you.
• Always bear with what fate offers you in the right spirit. So will you have God's mercy.
• Be content with your portion in life as meted out by Nature. Thiswise can you release yourself from destiny and attain eternal Truth.
• If you want to serve the God of Truth you should do so by living in submission to Him, bearing patiently with the forces of the natural instincts which rule creaturely existence with delusive egoism and cognate effects.
• In the three worlds that be, there is none but Truth that is your very own, Truth which is Providence as well as Dispensation.
• Man is bound by the ties not of wedlock but of cravings. Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and the other Gods lived a married life. As the Elders say, as you have sown so do you reap.
• All maladies are curved if you constantly recite the Holy Name with absolute trust in Him.
• This world of Ignorance revolve on the wheels of Time. No one can interface with its course.
• Everyman would teach others; few can teach themselves.
• Always recite the Name ; to do so is singleminded devotion. The acquired dispositions become a spent force only through patience : everything in its time. The Name alone is Truth ; naught else but the Name endures in this world.
• Fate is the arbiter for all and duly gives unto each what falls due to him. It is no good giving thought to that. None can escape the concatination of the destined events of his life.
• People are subject to birth and death owing to their allegiance to Appearance and cannot get release therefrom except by being devoted to Reality. But then Fate bears fruit everywhere.
• All people are ruled in this world by Destiny. Whatever Fate offers you at whatever hours, must needs be to your good.
• Marriage takes place just when it must, according to the decree of Providence, which cannot be interfered with.
• If you keep doing your immediate duties here on earth with surrender to God and goodwill to all, He will forever be looking to your good by removing all your wants and granting you absolute repose in Him.
• Accept the predestined portion of your life with cheerfulness.
• Fate alone, and nothing else, is responsible for all that befalls you. In this human predicament patience is your only friend.
• The world is like a dream where people are embogged by their illusory ego-sense, and wherefrom they are saved by single-minded devotion to the Lord.
• If you act with resignation to God, the forces of destiny will go over your head.
• Man looks before and after owing to having been enmeshed in the net of egoistic becomings.
• Always recite the Holy Name : the Name, alone, will remove all your wants and make your mind still.
• Do what you would with calm conviction. Indecision leads you nowhere. Stick to one thing, whatever be your choice.
• Find fault with none, be angry with none. Be always alive to your duty of serving the Lord. The servants of the Lord are always free.
• The world is a magic show, run by the cosmic forces which admit of no individual freedom of action.
• This world of Ignorance revolves on the wheels of Time. No one can interfere with its course.
• Do not worry over God's dispensations. Truth alone is the ultimate Goal. Forsake It not, but exert yourself always to follow Its course.
• Patience is a priceless possession. Exert yourself always to nourish it..

Friday, June 25, 2010

The Power of Maya (illusion)

Maya or say the illusion is one of the undefeatable power of the supreme God. We can say that this world is running properly just only because of maya. When someone very close to you dies we feel sad for sometime and think it is not possible for us to live without them but subsequently we forget everything and laugh again. Why it happens? Because of maya only.

We all know that there is an end to our life and we all will die one day but still we don’t want to think about it and involve ourselves in our day to day life and it happens again because of maya. We feel very much attached to this body which is full of blood, flesh, bones, urine and stool etc. which happens again due to maya. In Srimad Bhagvadgita also lord sri krishna says that “mam maya durtaya” means it is difficult to cross over my maya but a pure devotee can easily sail over it.

Actually what is maya ? maya is an illusion which makes the things seem real which actually do not exist. For example, we think that this world is real but it is real as long as our mind conceives it in that way, the moment we sleep that world is not existing. It is like the dreams we see in our sleep and in those dreams everything seems to be real but when we woke up we realize the truth. Similarly, this world is also an illusion and when we leave this body we realize this truth. Here we can also say that mind only continuously creates everything, it only says to you this is real or unreal but that cannot happen without the help of maya. Further, we have heard many times that all human relationships which took place in this earth happens due to the previous karmas or deeds done in our previous births that means we have taken many births and in each and every birth we had many parents/wife/children etc. then why we don’t remember them and why we feel so much attached to all those relationships in every birth, the answer is again due to maya.

In this regard, there is an very interesting story in our puranas/epics. Once devrishi narad wanted to see or know maya and he used to continuously pester Lord for it. Firstly, lord tried to avoid the request as it would only give him problem but narad was adamant. So one fine day lord and narad were going somewhere when lord feel thirsty and he asked for some water. Narad immediately came into action and he ran in search of water and while searching he found a very big and beautiful house. He knocked at the door and a very beautiful young girl came out of it and the moment narad saw her, it was love at first sight. The lady asked him what he want but narad was so spellbound that he could not utter a single word. The lady went inside the house and closed the door but narad didn’t go from there and sat there to see her again. That house belonged to one big zamindar who was very rich and had lots of land and properties and that girl was his only child and he was searching for some better groom for her who will stay here as his son. When two days passed and narad didn’t move from there the girl told her father about it and that she also like him. The father was also happy and he gave marraige of his daughter with narad. After the father died narad became the sole owner of all the properties and after sometime narad had three children from that lady and it was a happy family life and like this thirty years passed. Then one day severe flood came in his village and everything including his properties, house drowned and narad ran outside his house alongwith his children and wife but subsequently everybody drowned and only he survived. Narad sat with his hands on his head and crying alas everything gone my house/family/properties when suddenly a hand came from behind and tapped him. Narad looked back and saw lord standing in front of him, the lord asked him, “narad what happened ? I was waiting for you for half an hour ?” half an hour ! narad shouted thirty years have gone lord ! the lord smiled and said this is maya ! you wanted to see, so I showed it you. Narad immediately fall at the lotus fee of Lord Sri Krishna and requested the Lord to save him from his maya and give pure devotion at his lotus feet.

So the moral of the story is that pure devotion can only save us from the dangerous power of maya.
Jai Sri Krishna !

Monday, June 21, 2010

THE REALITY BEHIND 2012.

For the past one year, there is a fear or say a hype being created by the astrologers, people and the media that the world is going to end by 2012. There would be lot of natural calamities and heavy casualities all over the world. Many are also predicting that 2012 may also trigger the most fearful and unwanted thing the World War III and what to say more, recently there had been an hollywood movie also on the same theme ‘2012’. But we, the devotees of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna are absolutely calm and cool! Because we know the truth and the reality behind the year 2012. What I would like to say is not again one more prediction or hype but simply the truth and to know or accept that you need pure devotion to the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna. The year 2012 would be the end of all unspiritual activities all over the world and more and more people irrespective of their caste/creed would be attracted towards spiritualism. People would become more and more religious and nearly a decade ago the so-called modern people who used to make fun of the religious sentiments, rituals, festivals and saints they would start respecting them from the core of their heart. Another thing may happen, some people those who would continue to do the same thing as aforesaid, may find themselves in some of the most difficult times of their life and subsequently which would take them towards the aspect of spiritualism. So it may be an alarm for all those people from all over the world. India would lead the world as a hub of religious activities and would also act as a spiritual consultant for the world. Our own younger generation who are escaping towards west in search of money/wealth/prosperity would realise the divinity hiding in the temples, pilgrimage places and in each and every corner of India. And who knows, the process would have already started where the eyes of media cannot reach, which the astrologers cannot predict. It would be a huge and massive purifying process for the whole mankind and those who are going to witness this are really very blessed souls on this earth. So the year 2012 would mark the end of materialism and the beginning of spiritualism.
Jai Govinda! Jai Mukunda!

Friday, June 18, 2010

THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS

Everybody in this world wants happiness as it is natural in each and every human being. The source of Happiness depends from person to person according to their choices or nature. But I think the happiness acquired through materialistic things is temporary as it is anitya. Instead we should go for the divine happiness through the atma which is nitya. Most of the people in this world are unhappy as their happiness depend upon the temporary things.

The basic problem is the ego of human being which took him far away from the aspect of spiritualism which can only give him the feeling of everlasting divine happiness. The basic necessity in being religious/spiritual (or whatever name you put) is total surrender to the lotus feet of lord Sri Krishna / Govinda which is also called Purna Saranagati. Once you surrender to God, all your botherings also disappear within seconds. When we were small kids we were under the utmost care of our parents who used to take care of all our needs, hence we were free from all kinds of botherings and were very happy. Similarly God is the parent of all the parents in this world and if you surrender to him certainly he will take utmost care of you (somewhere one acharya was telling in a katha like the eyelid takes care of your eyeball).

And this thing starts by thinking about God in each and every moment of your life which is called Ananya Chinta (constantly thinking) according to Srimad Bhagvadgita and which subsequently takes you towards Purna Saranagati. So the Key to Happiness or rather I should say the Divine Happiness is Ananya Chinta/Purna Saranagati.

Jai Sri Krishna !