Spirit of Mumbai….Vaishnav Spirit! :)

Well this is something interesting and really zestful….

Only local train passengers in Mumbai will know how helpful commuters try to be...... Last week, a hapless victim fell prey to the over enthusiastic Bombay's local train commuters. Our hero, a man from Pune, wanted to go to Matunga, but as luck and trains would have it, boarded a fast train not halting at his destination. He panicked on realising his mistake but by then the local had started moving. On seeing his plight, a sympathetic co-passenger decided to come to his rescue. It seemed that he had been commuting by that particular train (6:03pm Kasara Fast) for the past 6 years and had noticed that the train always slowed down just before Matunga station and crawled at a snail's pace while passing through it. He told the man to jump out of the running train as it slowed down and that with a little bit of fleet-footedness, he would make it safely on terra firma. However, knowing the man's inexperience, he added some words of caution: "Keep running the moment you jump or you'll fall. Just keep running." He stressed the word "running" lest the man not know the laws of motion. The train did slow down just before Matunga station and at the prompting of his mentor, our hero jumped out of the train and started running as if all hell had broken loose. What he didn't realise, of course, was that he was running parallel to the direction of the train instead of running away from it. Meanwhile, the train slowed down further, so that the man was running faster than the train. In the process, he reached the door of the next compartment and the footboard commuters there pulled him in thinking he was trying to board the train! To his agony, the train picked up speed and sped past Matunga and his new co-passengers started to congratulate him on how lucky he had been, until he told them that they had actually undone what he had done with great difficulty. Those standing at the door of his "ex-compartment" had witnessed the whole drama and just couldn't stop laughing at the poor man's situation, while he grinned sheepishly!!

I mean I could write a saga on such hilarious train incidents, some of them are really moving, some disturbing and a lot very amusing. But this one just gave me this thought..... that just like the Mumbai spirit, I hope and pray to all Vaishnavs and devotees that in their association they show the same mercy and enthusiasm and help me board and most importantly remain boarded in the train to Goloka Vrindavan ;) , even if I try and board off it (due to my material bondage) and if by mistake I succeed to board off, they should similarly lift me back on board…Haribol!

Radhe Radhe!

A Really cute thought...Butter Thief!

Krishna, really relishes butter and he simply loves home made butter his gopis made...and stealing it and taking only made it so much more pleasurable, especially for the gopis. :) I just remembered sometime back, I had heard, HH Gaurgopal Prabhu say in one of his lecs that through our sincere love, humble attitude and determined devotional service we need to churn our hearts and make them loving and soft as butter...Only then Krishna will come and steal it away.... :)

Hare Krishna! I pray atleast I am able to start the churning of my malacious heart and be blessed with all the wonderful devotees and Guru Maharaj and Srila Prabhupada, then maybe someday I'll have that butter ready.... and he'll lick it away. :D Jai Nitai Sachinandan!

The Blue Umbrella

Last evening was a weird one, I had planned a few activities for myself and was on schedule however I just thought lets watch tv for a while. I knew that sometimes a while can turn out to be hours but then I was hooked. Just switching between channels I came across this title “Blue Umbrella” a movie on some channel for kids. I found the title so intriguing that I decided to postpone my activities, take a break and watch the movie.

Now I am not sure if any of you have seen it, in a gist it’s a story of a little shepherd girl who lives in a hill station and finds herself a very beautiful blue Japanese umbrella which gets her a lot of attention and admiration, not only from localites but also from tourists. Despite the attention, it’s the sheer company of the umbrella keeps her blissful. It was like a person itself to her. Now there is another character, who is a local snack shop owner and is known for tricking people into getting their valuables of a much higher value by tempting them or giving credit on the stuff he sells. He has taken quite a fancy for the umbrella and even inquires its cost from the market. He finds that it’s a rare Japanese make and is worth around Rs.2500/- (which is a lot for them) and would have to be brought from the next metropolitan Delhi. He tries to lure the girl in all possible ways but she doesn’t relent into his persuasions. One day the umbrella goes missing and hell breaks loose. The girl has lost her everything… she doesn’t eat, sleep, smile.

Ok well if interested you better see the movie, its got a good direction and excellent narration, and plagiarizing the story wasn’t really the intention of this post.

As I was watching the movie, as usual I placed myself in the protagonist (or atleast who I thought was the protagonist (little girl)) place and could somehow relate to her. I mean we all have our blue umbrella’s in life. Even though we value it a lot but there are time we might loose it due to our negligence. I mean it could be anything or anyone for that matter. I was thinking the pain and agony is the same, because our attachment was of the same nature. We can’t really argue that it was only an object, loosing a person would have been worse. It has had the same affect on the person who lost it. I know I have lost my blue umbrella, and it became even more important for me to see the movie to its end to find a solution to it.

The story simply marvelled me. I thought it was a predictable one and even though it was to most extent the essence left me surprised and thinking about it. I then realised it was just a story and I was desperately trying to find meaning in to it, a solution in my life that I found the movie and especially its end inexplicable. But now to think of it, in many ways it was the most practical end I guess. I was still sitting and pondering over it, when my mom came and reminded me of my chores. While we were at them, I asked mom about the meaning of the story. Lol its been ages after I have asked my mom to explain a story to me. It felt good. :D She although could tell me the most obvious thing and shrugged it off, saying just accept it and get back to making the garland’s for your Krishna.

Then suddenly it struck me….Yeah, Krishna…My blue boy. I have the painting hanging right over my head, and he was smiling at me. Sigh! I life, you might loose hundreds of blue umbrella’s even though it might seem the world’s end but then there is only one Blue boy to the rescue. Never loose or forget the Blue Boy…because he is the panacea to everything. (well for those really looking for solution, medicine) else with him in the picture, no blue umbrella, no matter how gorgeous. How precious, it would be just some filthy slime in front of the Wonderful, fun-filled, loving Blue Boy…Krishna.

Hare Krishna!
PS- You really need to see the movie, or ask me later to mail in detail the story to understand my state of mind and what exactly I meant or trying to portray with this post. Even better am sure it will have some nice reviews if you google it.

A Thankyou prayer on this wonderful morning... :)

Lord Krishna has designed this material world and everything related so perfectly, taking care of the most intricate minute details, that it leaves no doubt that there is definitely a creator and not just a chemical locha as so-called scientists claim. It also confirms that the creator himself would have to be absolutely perfect and self-sufficient and satisfied which confirms the essence of most Vedas. :)

Now the particular detail I had in mind was the gift of forgetting. It really is a gift more than a problem as many of you might see it. If we remembered everything then it would have been impossible to be sane and live normally. Imagine all the pain and all the loss, not just in this birth but in our past. All the suffering and worst of all our mistakes and repentance (it’s a good thing in a way to remember that so mistakes cant be repeated however then it would be very difficult to forgive oneself or believe there is hope for forgiveness and a bright future with Krishna. :)) Infact this power of forgetting is so beautifully designed that the memory lasts for just as long as it is required to be.

Lol which reminds me how he made mother Yashoda forget when she peeked in his mouth and his energy revealed his truth. He immediately made her forget to restore that loving relationship with his mother, else she would be in too much awe to genuinely love him as a parent, the vatsalaya rasa (loving relationship as a parent) is definitely higher than the loving relationship as a servant.

There are more than often days when before sleeping I am filled with so much remorse and mornings I feel I can’t face the world but then again feel a little better praying to Krishna. But this morning was different than usual. I had a beautiful dream, full of hope and a determined will to pursue the future hoping if not a second chance but if a similar situation arises I do not repeat my mistakes ever again and if Krishna is really merciful will get redemption.

I pray to Radharani, to present my case and prayer to her beloved Gopinath. I am just very thankful for their causeless mercy which I never deserved. I pray I never forget your lotus feet and can remember and be completely devoted to that loving eternal relationship with Krishna and always be engaged in his service. :)

True Love and its meaning...

These words more or less perfectly describe what I feel has the greatest significance in Love(True love is spiritual, its a connection between the souls and super soul)...
(Radharani is Love personified)

Everybody wants to be loved. The secret of how to be loved as much as possible is to always be giving love because the more we give love, the more we are the recipients of love. Of course sometimes when we are giving love we are actually do more harm

than good. This is called giving love in the mode of ignorance.

To give love properly we must understand what is actually beneficial for the living being and give him that. That which is actually beneficial for the living being is to reawaken his eternal loving relationship with Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So if we want to purely and properly love someone, we must give them Krishna consciousness. The more we give Krishna consciousness to others, the more we will feel how we are being showered by the loving mercy of Lord Sri Krishna at every minute. This is why those who properly understood the science of Krishna consciousness absorb themselves as much as possible 24 hours a day in giving Krishna consciousness to others. In this way they are constantly doing the greatest good for others and the greatest good for themselves as well.

Someone has given me this love and its amazing, it not only brings me closer to Krishna increasing everyday but also multiplies exponentially my love for the person who gave me Krishna and brought me so close to the path of Krishna Consciousness. All my prayers and this post is dedicated to him and family.

Radhe Radhe :)

New Year thoughts

This new year's eve I was thinking about many things, just like everyone does, especially about the past year, however surprisingly, I was thinking about past new year's eves that I have spent in last eight consecutive years...
Well all those eight years had one common factor (or rather person)for me, or atleast in my thoughts. Only this new year it was not in the picture but with me only through my thoughts and prayers. And then there was Krishna with me and I spent my new years in a fruitful way, things I thought I should have done. Then I heard a wonderful lecture which was in tune with my intuitions and thoughts for the day.
Well this new year will bring many new experiences and hopes and all of us not just as a resolution but as a personal decision faith in mind have certain goals. I wont mention them here but its like still making a note, a commitment.

Again, as I was thinking most people spend their new years really wasting, I remember one of mine, which was an expensive one (Rs.3000) to a party with obscure, provocative dancing (i didnt know), excessive intoxication, drinking, drugs(i knew but didn;t indulge), meat eating (but it has some really nice veg starters for me) sepite that, it was a very special evening for me, because it had involved, one pure, spiritual aspect, connected directly to heart. But had that not been involved, I would have started my 2005 with a really bitter taste, and late mroning, regretting everything about the night. And then people look forward to do this every year this evening and even those who generally are not into drinking, meat eating, gambling or illicit sex, find an excuse for the same. Do they really believe its an ideal way to start the new years? Is it really fun? I know not for me.

With that background and coming back to new year thoughts, here is what I transcripted of the lecture I heard that evening. I wanted you to read it....

Drunken men like to associate with other intoxicated men. And there are many forms of intoxication, spiritual intoxication, intoxication in love.

The nature of soul to always be intoxicated in love of Krsna prema, devotional service, the higher taste, however without this intoxication people’s inclination is to take intoxication (drugs,liquor). Intoxication of Krsna prema even at our stage, lifts the consciousness, purifies the heart and awakens are true consciousness, whereas the intoxications of this world corrupts the heart, degrades the consciousness and completely obscures our real nature.

So…as the world is getting intoxicated tonight, so shall we. New years is also the time when people are more introspective, take inventory of what they have been, they have done and they really like to go and do. Krishna says : “Time I am, the destroyer of everything. Krishna is time. With every new year, we are one year older, which means we are one year closer to death, perceptively time is consuming everything and everyone, by the power of time every mountain will turn to powder, every ocean will be evaporated, every planet will turn to dust, the sun and the moon will be extinguished, and our lil tiny bodies will follow the same path, that is the power of time. Srimad Bhagvatam tells that with every rising and setting of the sun, you are one day closer to death, new year means you are one year closer to death, but for those who spent their time hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord in devotional service, with every rising sun we are one day closer to eternal life. For our new years we are one year closer to eternal life. It is the time to sincerely examine what are our priorities, what are our ideals and how are we living to our ideals? Srila Prabhupada writes that a miserly person is one who dies without realizing god, such a waste of human life and he quotes that the greatest tragedy there is, is a moment lost in this human form of life. King Kadbhanga, he attained the ultimate perfection in one moment, the story is the importance of time. He was assisting the devatas in the great war against the asuras, and he fought so valiantly, for many days, weeks months, without sleeping and he helped win the war and the devatas asked him any benediction, whatever is within our power we’ll give you, they could give wealth,mystic siddhis, unbelievable powers, they could give planets. Maharaj Kadbhanga only asked for one thing…tell me when I am going to die, because I want to prepare myself, such sincerity. If you could ask any benedictions that the devatas can give, you can ask for a bank account, where you never have to work again, you could asked for a beautiful home, with maid and servants where you never have to pick up a thing, you could ask for eternal youth and health till you die, you could ask for a life span of thousands of years, demigods can give you that, so you can enjoy, you can ask for beauty or strength that would just mesmerize the whole world, Anything Anything, just use your imagination, but he wanted to know only one thing, when he will die. This is significant. When our beloved Guru Maharaj, Srila Prabhupada, met his Guru Srila BhaktiSiddhant Saraswati Thakur, he asked him only on thing, preach this message of Sri Chaitanya prabhu and spread it all over the world in English language. Srila Prabhupada was then following Gandhiji, said: First we should establish India as an independent nation, then there will be social stability and we will have integrity. Who will listen in foreign country to a exploited nation? Srila BhaktiSiddhant Saraswati Thakur was very very serious, he said: This Krishna Consciousness is the eternal need of every living being, it cannot wait for other adjustment, individually or collectively. There will always be political problems and on a personal level there will always be family problems, in a student life, there will always be study problems and pressures, for businessman and professionals there will always be pressures and reasons and excuses of why I should put my Krishna Consciousness to another day. I’ll do it, but in time….

Here’s the story of Kailash….
Kailash was a disciple of Narada Muni, Narada Muni was really trying to make him take his Krishna Consciousness seriously. Kailash said yes, Gurudev, I will but am just about to get married and a lot of arrangements have to be made, I promise after that. So he got married, very nice ceremony. After sometime , when Narada muni came he said, I have to get established in my work, because I have a new family, and not only that guruji I am also going to have a child, so I have to stabilize my income and all of that, then after that yes, I’ll take my Bhakti very seriously.

Narada Muni came back and he says,” I have a child now, look he needs food and attention, he needs so many things, let me raise him a little.” Narada Muni came back and he say: “ have a second child”, then again “I have a third child .So many bills so many problems, my wife needs my help, I will become serious in my Bhakti but just let me settle things.” Narada Muni gave him sometime, came back, he said” Its my son’s marriage and then my daughter’s , it’s a very serious thing and then I have to help them in their life.” Next time he came, “ I have grand children, My children don’t know how to take care of their children and they don’t know how to take care of their business, estate, I have to teach them, then yes, yes.” Narada Muni came back and asked.” Where is Kailash?” Children said,” He is dead.”

Do you think that’s the end of the story? Narada Muni was crying, “ He shed buckets of tears for any of his disciples who went astray from his path of Bhakti, that’s the compassion of a Vaishnav. So Narada Muni is walking away….:Wooh! Woof, Bow Wow.. Its me Kailash!I am a dog” Narada Muni looked at the dog and said, “ Kailash, look what happened to you, you have wasted your human for of life now you are a dog, but I will give you special extra mercy just come with me now, take your Krishna Consciousness seriously.” Kailash barked in disagreement, “Woof! How? Look at my children and grand children, taking care of this house for which I have worked so hard, for so many years, let me just make sure that they can take care and are self sufficient, then I promise, I will become very serious.”. Narada Muni came back after sometime, went to the house, “ Where is that dog?”, In reply.” Oh! That Dog? He died.” Narada Muni was very sad. He thought to himself that he failed. He was walking through the lawn he heard near his feet. “ Gurudev, Itssss me. Kailash! Now I am a Ssssnake.” Narada Muni said, “ Kailash, you are a snake. Just come now, I will give you one last chance, Take your Bhakti seriously. Kailash said,” But, Jusssst give me two more weeks. I have a Sssnake wife and a Snake Sssson. I have to take care of them.”

Narada Muni, was very merciful that day. Extremely merciful. He went to the house and he told Kailash’s children and grand children, “I want to warn you that there is a deadly venoumous snake in your yard. I think you should kill it immediately.” So they came running out with sticks and started beating the snake, Beating and beating, his own children, Grand children and as he was being beaten mercilessly, Kailash yelled out, “ Naradaa, I am ready, I am ready, Gurudev, Gurudev, take me.” And Narada Muni said, I will take care of this.” Then Kailash joined his gurudev and very sincerely cried out the holy name” Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare! Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare!”

So there is always problems in your life. This life is dukahalaya. Problems, socially, domestically, individually, Maya will always give you an excuse to procrastinate. For the rest of eternity, birth after birth, she will always give you reasons why you cannot.
Therefore Sri Krishna says, “ Those who are on this path, are resolute in purpose, they are determined.” Prabhupada once wrote in a letter to his disciple, “ If you want to resolve the problem of human life and become Krishna conscious, you have to be enthusiastic, determined in principles. “

Krishna consciousness is the Only real need of human life., Awakening our original spiritual consciousness is our sanatana dharma, our eternal duty, everything else has to balanced with that. We should Bhakti in the centre and organize every other aspect of our life in such a way that it facilitates our Bhakti. If we don’t make that decision our minds will always be scattered and we cannot make real advancement. That is called sincerity.

In one of his lectures, Srila Prabhupada was explaining that people work so hard, to give affection to their friends and family, to make a living, but they do not know, that death is always right behind them. Krishna says in Geeta, :” I am Death.” You may not see God, but you will face death. Then he gave a very timely example.” During the struggle of independence for the country of India, there was a picture cartoon in newspaper and Prabhupada remembered it. In this picture cartoon, Mahatma Gandhi was sitting on a fishing boat, and right behind him was Mr. Jinnah and he had in his hand, a knife and a plate and he was saying: you do all the fishing and all the work and whatever you catch, I will take my portion and go away. Prabhupada said, that is Pakistan. J

Prabhupada said, Gandhi and all his people went to Jail, they were threatened by so many people, they went through so many austerities. He said Mr. Jinnah never went to Jail or any problems and took his share.Gandhiji was completely against the partition. But he had to accept it. Because of the pressure and the propaganda and the manipulation of the British. Because when the british had to give up India they were commited to make sure that India would never be a strong, powerful country that could rise. So they divided it. And created propaganda that even after division, the divisions would constantly fight and neither one could really grow. Prabhupada explained that Pakistan and Hindustan and all this animosity was a political projectof the british. Now when Prabhupada was saying this he wasn’t trying to be political. Because we are not political, we are only concerned with spirit soul. But we so see how human beings through manipulation, create so much division and hatred. Whatever we are doing there is always someone ready to take it away, and there is one person who is always right behind us and he will take everything away…. Krishna when he said I am death personified.

Once real self interest is that everything you do in life is always when you are preparing for what is beyond death. You are preparing your next life to go back home, back to Godhead, And Krishna is so kind that we can not only prepare and go back to that eternal blissful life, but we can have a wonderful experience while preparing for it in this life. This process is simply joyful. Just be intoxicated in Srimad Bhagvatam. Intoxicated in the holy name of Krishna, Intoxicated in pure association of the devotees. It’s the pure happiness of the soul.

Srila Prabhupada said, to his devotees, you are already liberated. If you follow my teachings, which are Krishna’s teachings. You just have not realized it yet. In Goloka Vrindavan, they are chanting, they are dancing, they are feasting, they are serving. Personally seeing Radha and Krishna. What Srila Prabhupada has given us is the eternal activity of the spiritual world. Which we are performing even today when we follow his teachings, which is eternally blissful. But when we do it, we become purified and gradually realize it.

New Year is the time when we focus on time and the Year, 2008 is gone forever and we cant get a second back from it. Its gone forever, so let us take our time utilization very seriously. Because even in management schools we are taught, how we utilize our time, is very important, in spiritual life its even more important.

It is said that at the time of death, our whole life runs before our eyes and the last thought then, is what mattered the most throughout and honestly. If it is Krishna, then the purpose of this life, and many lives for that matter is fulfilled because we return back to Godhead and are free from this cycle of birth and death, but if its something else that we desire, we will take another birth to fulfill that desire. Srimad Bhagvatam has many stories that highlight this. Story of Jada Bharata. (I’ll add references soon or the story itself)

So honestly are we prepared? Its not really a question to answer to me or to anyone else but yourself, what would be your last thought if you died this very moment? Is it worth taking another life for it?

Happy Krishna Consciousness 2009 to everyone. :)
Hare Krishna!