Gift

Srimad Bhagavad Gita Seventeenth Chapter 17-22 adeśakāle yaddānamapātrebhyaśca dīyate asatkṛtamavajñātaṁ tattāmasamudāhṛtam The gift that is given at an improper place and time, to an unworthy person, without respect or with contempt, is held to be Tāmasic (of the mode of ignorance). Comment: In the scriptures, it is said that in Kaliyuga (Iron age), offering charity is the only 'Dharma' (righteousness)-- 'danekam kalau yuge' (Manusmirti 1/86, Mahabharata Maha.Sh. 231/28', Skanda Pur. Nagar 51/67), Padma Pur.18/441 etc.). Therefore, charity given in any which way, leads to one's spiritual welfare--. pragata chari pada dharam ke kali mahu eka pradhana, jena kena bidhi dineh dana karai kalyana (Manas, 7/103 kha). It means that in Kaliyuga, performance of virtuous actions such as sacrifice, charity, penance and vows (fast) etc., according to the ordinance of the scriptures, is difficult; therefore a person should somehow or other develop a habit to give charity, to renounce. In the Gita wherever the distinction is made between the three modes of nature-- Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic, Sattvic mode should be chosen because it leads to salvation-- 'daivī sampadvimokṣāya' and Rajasic and Tamasic modes have to be abandoned; because they result in bondage -- 'nibandhāyāsurī matā' (Gita: 16/5). From Gita Prabodhini by Swami Ramsukhdasji -----------------------------------------

Vivekananda Chudamani verse 2 and 3

"Three things are rare and are gained by the grace of God, namely, a human birth, desire for liberation and getting a great soul as one`s Master or Guru to guide him" "For all living creatures, a human birth is indeed rare; much more difficult is to attain full manhood; rarer than this is a Sattwic attitude in life. Even after gaining all these rare chances, to have steadfastness on the path of spiritual activity as enshrined in Veda-s is yet rarer. Still rarer is to have a correct knowledge of the deep knowledge of the scriptures. Discrimination between the Real and the unreal, a personal experience of spiritual Glory and ultimately to get fully established in the living consciousness that the Self in me is the Self in all..... these come only later on, and culminate in one`s own liberation. This kind of a perfect liberation can not be had without earned merits of a hundred crores of lives lived intelligently." (Verses 2 and 3 of Viveka choodAmani)

Gods Lila

God’s Lila, Understanding the Collective Impact of Avatara One evening, after having propitiated the fire god Agni with milk offerings, the great sage Kashyapa was seated in deep meditation inside his sacrificial hall. At that moment his wife Diti, stung by the arrows of Kamadeva approached him saying: "Oh Learned One!, just like an elephant crushes a banana tree, so is Kama the god of love tormenting me. Please confer your favor on me. Satisfy my desire; indeed, an entreaty of the distressed to the great ones is never fruitless." Diti was besides herself with desire. Sage Kashyapa replied to her in a soothing tone saying, "Devi! I am ready to comply with your desire at the earliest. Who would not satisfy his wife who is but his better half? A man is able to move around freely only because his wife is there to look after his house. A man cannot repay his wife’s debts in this life or the next. But please wait for some time before I satisfy your desire." Kashyapa then explained to his wife that there were four factors why he couldn’t satisfy her at the present moment: 1). He was seated in meditation. 2). According to the scriptures, conjugal acts are forbidden in the evenings (and mornings, being allowed only in the nights). 3). The time of twilight (sandhya) was approaching. This is the time when the great God Shiva roams arounds the world riding His bull, surrounded by His ghost companions. Bhagawan Shiva witnesses everything with His three eyes. Hence, nothing in the world remains hidden from him. Out of respect to His presence, one should refrain from this act during those moments. 4). Lastly, I am disinclined (According to the scriptures, if either partner is disinclined, the other should refrain). Though she was thus instructed in the ways of dharma, Diti, whose senses were thoroughly overwhelmed by passion, caught hold of her husband’s garment. Kashyapa, realising that it was God’s will, agreed to his wife’s request and they both entered a secluded area. Later, he took a bath, performed pranayama and meditating silently on the pure, eternal light, repeated internally the Gayatri Mantra. Diti too, now that her passion had subsided, was ashamed that she had transgressed dharma. She approached sage Kashyapa with her face cast down and said: " Oh Noble Brahmin! I have committed a fault against Bhagawan Shiva; but I hope that he will not destroy my impending child. I bow to the Great Lord Shiva. We women are treated compassionately even by ruthless hunters, what then to say of Bhagawan Shiva?" Her husband, who had completed his evening rituals, spoke to his wife who was trembling greatly with fear and was desirous of obtaining the good of her progeny. He said: "Lady! your mind was impure with desire. The time also was not right. You did not obey my order and also you disrespected the gods. As a consequence, you will beget two wicked sons, who will make the whole world cry out with their atrocities. When their activities will cross all limits, the ever compassionate Bhagawan Vishnu will descend to take avatara and kill your two sons." On hearing this, Diti said: "This is what I too want, that my sons should meet death directly at the hands of the glorious Bhagawan Vishnu." Kashyapa continued, "On account of your repentance at your act, and due to the great respect you have shown for Bhagawan Shiva and Vishnu, one of your grandsons (Prahlada) will be a great bhakta who will be a source of inspiration for all generations to come." Diti was delighted on hearing that her grandson would be a great bhakta of Bhagwan Vishnu. She felt even more delighted at the prediction that both her sons would meet their ends at the hands of Bhagawan Vishnu Himself. As she bore the seed of her husband and the day of delivery neared, the sun lost its lustre, engulfing the world in darkness. Even the gods felt helpless at the unfolding events. They immediately rushed to Brahma Ji and asked him to protect them from the embryos in Diti’s womb, whose darkness was consuming the world, much like fire consumes fuel. Brahma Ji laughed out aloud and replied to the gods in a sweet and reassuring voice: "You need not worry. The two sons of Diti are none other than two individuals named Jay and Vijay, who were at one time gatekeepers of Vaikuntha, the residence of the Supreme God Vishnu." How Jay and Vijaya Fell from Vaikuntha Once it so happened that goddess Lakshmi was out of Vaikuntha. When she returned, the two gatekeepers asked her to wait outside because Vishnu Ji was in yoga nidra. This obviously annoyed Lakshmi Ji. She felt insulted, that she, being the mistress of the house, was made to wait outside by the gatekeepers who were, after all, her servants. She later complained to the Lord, telling Him how His gatekeepers had stopped her from entering His chamber. Bhagawan Vishnu asked her to forbear a little. He pointed that it would not be seemly if He banished them at her instigation. People would accuse Him of being ruled by His wife. "I will banish Jay and Vijay the day they insult a sage," He promised. Lakshmi Ji was calmed by these words because she always obeys the Lord. Soon after this incident, four saints, known by the common name ‘Sanatkumaras’, came to visit Vaikuntha. The Sanatkumaras are highly accomplished saints who view this whole world as a manifestation of God and are beyond all duality. Despite being older, they always maintain the appearance of five-year olds and go around without clothes. They too were stopped by Jay and Vijay, who laughed and made fun of them. Even though they knew the Sanatkumaras very well, because of God’s will, at that moment, they treated the Kumaras as mere children. So, Jay and Vijay tried to block their access to Bhagawan Vishnu.It was God’s design that the great Sanatkumaras become angry at this intervention. Interestingly, the Bhagavata Purana, from where this story is taken, refers to anger as ‘kamanuja’, meaning the younger brother of kama (desire), just like Lakshmana is called Ramanuja. Anger follows desire, just like Lakshmana follows Rama (Bhagavatam 3.15.19). So, the Sanatkumaras, prevented from their desire of seeing Bhagawan Vishnu, were overcome by kamanuja when Jay-Vijay misbehaved with them. Their eyes reddened a little and they said: "You behave like ordinary men and hence do not deserve to live in this spiritual world." The Sanatkumaras then cursed Jay and Vijay saying: "Go where material people live (i.e. the earth). That is where you deserve to live." Meanwhile, hearing the commotion, Vishnu Ji emerged from his abode. Seeing the great saints he welcomed them with reverence saying, "The curse you have given to these two is most appropriate." Here we see an example of the Lord’s tact. People should never side with their servants on such occasions. They should first pacify the enraged guests. Bhagawan continued, "Despite being my attendants, these two did not understand My priorities. They go against my wishes when they show disrespect to brahmins. That is why it is proper for you to have cursed them. Respected Sirs! I consider saints My all-in-all. It is because the saints sing My virtues that Devi Lakshmi accepts Me. It is because of you that I live in Vaikuntha and am known as God. It is through your mouths that I eat. Indeed, I do not as much relish the offerings poured into the sacrificial fires as I do food dripping with ghee offered to brahmins. It is the dust of the holy feet of brahmins that I wear on my crown. Brahmins, milk-bearing cows and protection-less beings, all three are my own body. Those who look upon any of these three as different from Myself, are torn with rage by Yamadutas, the servants of death. I am won over by those who look upon even harsh speaking brahmins as Myself and honour those brahmins with a joyous heart (what then to say of people who revere virtuous brahmins like Sanatkumaras). It is My principle, with regard to those who serve Me, that I consider their mistakes to be Mine. Therefore, while my two attendants will descend three times to the earth as demons, I will follow them even more, i.e., I will descend four times." The following is the distribution of Jay-Vijay’s descent and Bhagawan Vishnu’s avatars (lit. descent): 1). Varaha Avatar for killing Hiranyaksha 2). Narasimha Avatar for killing Hiranyakashipu 3). Rama Avatar for killing Ravana 4). Krishna Avatar for killing Shishupala. Bhagwan concluded: "Four times will I go for their salvation and bring them back to My abode." The Purpose of Avatar Thus here we see the entire causal life-cycle of Bhagawan’s avatar. It is never for one single purpose but to fulfil many functions at the same time. For example, through His Varaha Avatar, God accomplished the following objectives: 1). Never leaving His bhaktas in distress. Bhagawan Vishnu followed Jay-Vijay all the way to earth, after they had fallen from Vaikuntha. 2). Born as evil demons, these two wrecked havoc on innocent people. By killing them, Bhagwan restored dharma and fulfilled the promise made by him in the Gita (4.7). 3). By killing them with His own hands, He ensured for them a glorious death. 4). By manifesting Himself in the lowly body of a ‘varaha’, Bhagwan Vishnu reminded us of the sacredness of all life. 5). Indeed, any of Bhagwan’s lilas takes into account the collective karma of all creatures. Additionally, through the events leading upto to Bhagawan Vishnu’s avatar (Diti-Kashyap dialogue, conduct of Jai-Vijay etc), we are also instructed in the subtle nuances of dharma, which in the process, help us lead a richer, more fruitful life. References & Further Reading: G. P. Bhatt & J. L. Shastri (tr). The Bhagavata Purana (5 Volumes): Delhi, 2002 Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda (tr). Bhagwatamrit: The Elixir of the Bhagawat: Mumbai, 2005. Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Bhagavata Darshan (Collection of Discourses in Two Volumes): Mumbai, 2003. Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda (tr). Shrimad Bhagavata Purana (2 Volumes): Gorakhpur, 2004.

5 Most

The 5 Most Important People To Forgive Before The End Of The Year BY SHANNON KAISER DECEMBER 23, 2014 12:28 PM EST As the year comes to an end, many of us focus on resolutions, goals and adopting new healthy habits. The month of December is often filled with travel, family time and holiday parties. With it can come stress and frustration. One of the most overlooked ways to de-stress is to go inward and release anger. Many of us hold onto resentment without realizing it. Your boss didn't promote you, your ex remarried, the big SUV took your parking spot. Money woes and holiday stress can add a lot of pressure to the mix. If you want to start the New Year truly feeling balanced and empowered, look at all your relationships and see who you can forgive. When you forgive others, it doesn't excuse their behavior. Forgiveness is an act of kindness to your own heart. When you forgive, you prevent yourself from hurting. You move on. You take the high road. You're free. To feel free this holiday season, forgive these five people in your life. 1. Your ex-lover(s) Forgiving your ex-lovers doesn't mean saying what happened is OK. It just means you've accepted the situation and can now see the big picture. When you forgive, it isn't about the other person. It is about opening up your future because you've finally forgiven your past. Holding on to past relationships after they expire is part of healing a broken heart. When you love someone, you never truly get over them. Love is love and can never die. The form of the love changes and you may be in a position where you're no longer with the person you once loved. When you hold onto emotions and replay negative aspects of the relationship, you put yourself in a holding pattern of anger. Releasing that anger and letting go of regret will help you welcome a new start. 2. Your parents Your parents are doing the best they can with the information they have. They were raised a particular way and passed on only what they knew. As you grow up into your own beautiful being, parents may resist or be uncomfortable with certain aspects of your lifestyle. Forgive them. They mean well, but it's up to you to align with your own truth. The best thing you can do is not take what they say, or don't say, personally. Instead, recognize they want the same thing you want: to be happy, healthy and free of emotional burdens. 3. Your children If you have children, they may do things that don't make sense to you. Give them permission to explore and do things that resonate with their own heart. Forgive them for acting out or saying things that hurt you. When people hurt us, it is just them trying to make sense of a world that is hurting them. Do your best to forgive them and love them for who they are growing to be. 4. Your boss Workplace relationships can affect us on a deep level, in many ways we aren't even aware of. Are you harboring resentment because your co-worker got the raise before you did? Or maybe your boss keeps ignoring your brilliant ideas? Forgive them. Next time a co-worker or boss does something that causes you frustration, go inward and remind yourself they know not what they do. Align with your own heart and forgive them. 5. Yourself You are far too hard on yourself. This holiday season, you can forgive everyone else. But if you forget to look inward and forgive yourself, you will still feel a void. You can't start the next chapter of your life if you are holding on to the past. To make the New Year your best year yet, forgive yourself for not being where you think you should be and recognize you are exactly where you need to be to get to where you want to be. Consider that everything in your life has led you up to this point right here, right now. You have madeno wrong turns, there are no mistakes. Where you sit, in this very moment, imperfect. You are enough and perfect as you are. Forgive yourself. For more inspiration on how to live a balanced and happy life grab this FREE Love Your Life to The Fullest Guide.

The bramhan eagerness q

The Brahmana's Eagerness Once there lived a brahmana, who felt his time was up. But before dying he wanted to see Lord Badrinatha up in the Himalayas thus he left his village to go north. The journey up the mountains was strenuous and it took up all his remaining strength. The main question was: Would he be able to reach Badrinath in time? For half a year the temple was closed. From the end of September all throughout March when snow covered the high mountains the priest would lock up the doors and go down to the valley to wait there for the snow to melt. The brahmana gave it his best. Many pilgrims, who passed him advised the old man to make haste as soon the temple would be closes. In great anxiety he pressed on. He was very fragile and the paths were bad, travelling was extremely difficult and his body was so old. When he finally arrived he was practically crawling up the steps of the temple on all fours. From the steps of the temple he heard the sounds of bells and the familiar aratika song; but on the last step, the sounds stopped and the priest was standing with a heavy key before him, ready to close the gate. "Oh no" - groaned the old brahmana - "Just wait for a few more minutes till I have offered my homage to the Lord." But the priest was intent on locking the doors. "God does not have to wait for us, we have to wait for him. He is not our servant. Come back in half a year." "You don't understand" - cried the brahmana. Then he grabbed the feet of the priest and pleaded: "I am too old. I will die in a month or so. I have heard, the Lord is bhaktavatsala, a friend to his devotees, and the devotees are like wish-fulfilling trees ready to fulfill the desires of all?! " "No way!" - answered the priest. "I am already late. Let me bei" and then he kicked away the hands of the brahmana to free himself.The brahmana cried bitterly. But when no one heeded him and his voice fell on deaf ears he fainted and rolled down the temple steps. When he awoke, he was alone. Only the stars looked down on him. No human being was in sight. The old man was desperate. He felt his life had been in vain. With great determination he got up and exclaimed: "Now, where my Lord and His devotees have ignored me, my only shelter is Mother Ganga." Calling out loud : "Narayana, Narayana!" he stumbled towards the wild waters of the river Ganga to end his life there and then. When he had almost reached, he was stopped by a voice: "Hey old man! What do you think you are doing?" Upon turning around he saw a young man from the village galloping on a horse towards him: "Don't you know that suicide is sinful? It never brings us to the Lord." Finally he took the old man's hands into his. What a touch - both, delightful and firm. The brahmana told him his story: About how he had left his village in the hope of seeing the Lord, how he had overcome all kinds of obstacles, tolerating many hardships, and how, when he was just minutes away from his goal, the priest had kicked him down the temple stairs. The young man simply smiled. With a wave of his hand he said: "You are old and have become hard of hearing. The temple is open for you tomorrow. I am from here. Stay with me in a warm cave for the night and tomorrow I will take you personally for a darshan." The old man could not believe his ears. The young man led him into a warm cave nearby with a dancing fire and chessboard: "Let's spend the evening playing chess - then the time will go by faster", he suggested. And although the old brahmana had no idea about board games, he could not resist the attractive villager and much to his surprise, he always won the game. Finally they went to sleep. Early the next morning the young villager woke the brahmana up and after they had taken their bath in Brahmakunda, he led him up the stairs. At the top, they found the surprised priest. "Oh good! you are back old man. I was quite worried that you would not be alive" - the priest remarked. "Come right in." "Anyway it was only for a night", answered the brahmana. "No, it has been for 6 months! After I closed the temple door half a year ago, I went down to the valley. Today I am re-opening the temple again. You will be amongst the first pilgrims, who will see the first aratika ceremony of Lord Narayana." The brahmana was shocked, as a sweet realization dawned upon him. Quickly he turned around to look for the young man. When he could not see him next to him he shouted: "Young man, where are you?" The priest was surprised. At that moment the conch shells resounded, the bells started ringing and everyone rushed into the temple to participate in the first aratika ceremony. The brahmana stumbled inside and as he looked onto the altar he saw for a few moments, how the detiy had turned into the youth who played chess. Totally ecstatic, the brahmana came to understand that it was the Lord Himself who had saved him from taking his life. He had taken him into a warm cave and had kept him alive for 180 days and nights. When his eagerness had reached the highest point and he had longed with all his heart and soul to be with the Lord, the Lord had personally arranged to facilitate the union. As the other pilgrims looked on, he went out of the temple and laid down on the topmost step. Calling out: "Narayana! Have mercy on me!"- he closed his eyes and was immediately taken back to Godhead! Once a god-brother asked Srila Prabhupada: "How do we attain Krishna?" His answer was immediate: "By your anxiety." My god-brother was amazed: "Was anxiety not something material and had to be given up?" Srila Prabhupada clarified: "Not that anxiety! Material anxiety is a product of false ego. Be anxious for Krishna, not yourself. Be so eager to attain him that all other anxieties fall away!"

Perfect picture of Krishna

Story: Artist present perfect picture to Krishna! One day Krishna was seating in Dwaraka and was discussing with Narada Muni some spiritual subject matters. At that time Krishna was approach from artist who has painted picture of Krishna. Artist wanted to present picture of Krishna to Krishna. Krishna look at this picture and said: My dear artist this picture is not so good! Look at me see the difference and paint it again. Artist look at Krishna and now could notice few differences. So he went away and painted new picture. He come again. This time Krishna again told him the same. This repeated few times and picture was never complete.The artist was becoming desperate. Finally Narada Muni become very compassionate to the artist. He took him away and told him: If you want to make perfect picture of Krishna you cannot paint like this. He is at every moment new and new, more beautiful and more beautiful. You just go at market and buy some mirror. Present that to Krishna. The artist followed instruction of Narada Muni. And he come with present for Krishna. Krishna oppenend the present and look at mirror. Krishna was very long time looking at the mirror. He was very pleased by what was seeing. Finally He said to artist: Thank you! This is perfect picture! ( source unknown ) Moral of the story: When our hearth become clean by chanting Krishnas holy names only then we can see beautiful form of Krishna inside! Sri Siksastakam Text 1 ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha--davagni-nirvapanam shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritaswadanam sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtanam Glory to the Sri Krishna Sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. PS: I humbly request all the devotees to please forward moral / instructive stories they hear so that everyone can be benefitted.

The greatest thing

Story:Krishna ask Narada what is greatest thing? One day Sri Krishna and His devotee, Narada Muni, were together in a beautiful forest. They were sitting among the trees next to a little river, which glittered in the sunlight. All the animals in creation gathered around Krishna and Narada Muni, delighted to be in the presence of the Lord. There were songbirds, peacocks, swans, squirrels, deer, foxes, tigers and many other creatures. And being in the presence of the Lord, they were so full of love that a deer laid down next to a tiger, and a fox affectionately licked a squirrel's ear. The devas were there as well. It was a special moment for everybody. Krishna was smiling blissfully, and everyone was happy. Narada Muni's heart was overflowing with devotion towards the Lord. His hands were caressing the holy feet of his Beloved. All of a sudden, Krishna looked deeply at Narada Muni. To test his spiritual understanding, He asked him, "Narada, what do you think? What is the greatest thing there is?" Narada became a little nervous because he desperately wanted to give the correct answer. He thought and thought and thought, and then he said, "My Lord, I've got it! Without any doubt, the ocean is the greatest of all." All the fish that were swimming in the river jumped playfully in the water when they heard this because they were on their way to the ocean. But Krishna replied, "Narada, how can it be? Don't you know that the ocean is surrounded by land?" Narada Muni said, "Sorry, my Lord. You're right. It cannot be. In that case, the mountains must be the greatest." The squirrels were satisfied by this answer because they loved to run and play in the mountains. They giggled and said to each other, "Squeak, squeak, squeak," which in their language means, "Yes, yes! Very good!" But again the Lord replied, "No, Narada. How can that be? Don't you see that the mountains are limited and the sky around their peaks are much greater?" "I'm sorry," said Narada, becoming red in the face. He was astonished at his own ignorance. But still, he wanted to please the Lord. So he said, "My Lord, now I understand that the sky is the greatest thing there is." All the birds chirped in delight when they heard this. But Krishna was not happy with this answer. He said, "No, Narada, you failed again. Don't you know that Heaven is beyond the sky?" Narada said, "That's it! Heaven is the greatest thing!" The devas who live in Heaven were so happy to hear this that they flew about making somersaults. But Sri Krishna just shook His head. "No," He said. The squirrels felt so sad for Narada. One of them started to cry. But Krishna smiled at the squirrel and gave him a nut to make him happy. Narada felt defeated. He said, "Sorry, my Lord. You are right. It cannot be." Narada said to himself, "Now, let me think deeply because I don't want to fail again. Is there anything that can be greater than Heaven? Hmmm…" So he thought and thought. The peacocks spread their wings displaying all the beautiful colours of the rainbow, hoping to inspire Narada. But he couldn't come up with an answer. The Lord came to his rescue and said, "You see, devotion is the greatest of all things because it makes you little and humble and loving -- and there is nothing greater than being little and humble and loving." Narada, who loved the Lord more than anything in the world, was deeply moved. He took the Lord's hand and held it to his cheek. "Oh, my Lord, thank you so much," he said. "I didn't know that." The squirrels, who like all the other creatures were greatly devoted to Krishna, reverently folded their paws and said, "Squeak, squeak, squeak," which means, "Thank you very much, Krishna! We also didn't know that." The animals were very happy, and they all bowed to the Lord. The birds chirped, the peacocks danced with their beautiful tails spread out, the deer skipped about, the foxes smiled and wagged their tales, and the tigers purred very loudly. And because they loved Lord Krishna so much, they all lived happily ever after. Moral of thes story: It is so clear as Lord Krishna say in Bhagavad gita that he can be only achive by bhakti – devotion ( Bhakti mam abijananti ). Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. PS: I humbly request all the d