Action or Meditation

We all have heard of Himalayan Yogis who do meditation for years together in search of God in the caves of Himalaya. The stories of such Yogis are true & they do such meditation to achieve God all through their lives. Now just tell me whether in your busy life schedule, can you do such vigorous mediation in isolation for years together? Certainly not, as we all are worldly people who are doing our duty towards our family, society & nation. We do not have the luxury of such time that we can do meditation for years together.

Now, can't we then attain to God if we are not able to do the meditation? Don't worry, Bhagwat Gita gives a solution for this.

"Once there was a Master who was having a big hermitage in which he was having many disciples. Strangely, Master was never seen sitting in meditation. However, he was ceaselessly engaged in housework and fieldwork, in meeting people and writing books. He even took up the book keeping chores of the monastery. So in that way he was continuously engaged in action. Once a disciple asked the Master," You are always engaged in action, doing some work or the other, You never sit in meditation, then how come you are able to see the God?"

Master replied, "I do all my work always remembering the God & offer all my work to God. In this way I am sustaining my life, taking a part in God's world & doing good to the society. God is happy with me as I devote all my work to God. So in this way as I remember God always so therefore I don't need to sit in meditation."

Below are verses of Bhagwat Gita which also say that only:

"niyatam kuru karma tvam
karma jyayo hy akarmanah
satire-satrapy cha tee
an prasiddhyed akarmanah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 8)

"Sri Krishna said: Do You perform your prescribed duty; for doing action is better than not working. One cannot even maintain one’s physical body without work."

"brahmany adhaya karmani
sangam tyaktva karoti yah
lipyate an sa papena
padma-patram ivambhasa" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Five verse 10)

"Sri Krishna said: One who performs his duty offering all actions & surrendering the results unto the God, remains unaffected by sin; same as the lotus leaf is untouched by water."

"ye tu sarvani karmani
mayi sannyasya mat-parah
ananyenaiva yogena
mam dhyayanta upasate"

"tesam aham samuddharta
mrityu-samsara-sagarat
bhavami an cirat partha
mayy avesita-cetasam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Twelve verse 6-7)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, But those depending exclusively on me & those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Pritha (Arjuna) — for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death."

"sreyo hi jnanam abhyasaj
jnanad dhyanam visisyate
dhyanat karma-phala-tyagas
tyagac chantir anantaram" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Twelve verse 12)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind."

So let's do all our work always remembering the God & offer all our work to God. In this way you shall be sustaining your family life & shall be doing good to the society also. God shall be happy with you as you shall devote all of your work & life to God only.

Delhi Metro uses Bhagwat Gita as management-text

Nevada (US): Hindus have applauded Delhi Metro for reportedly giving copy of Bhagavad-Gita to its senior managers as a management-text and urged other international and domestic corporations in India to do the same. Read more...............Hindus laud Delhi Metro for using Gita as management-text & urge all corporations to follow

Read also at.... The New York Times.......In India, Hitching Hopes on a Subway

Read also.........Hindus want Bhagavad-Gita as required text in prestigious Indian Institutes of Management

Your Existence in Sleep State

In the waking state we identify ourselves with this body of ours. If someone asks you, who you are, then we generally refer our physical body as our real Self. So as per you, your body is your true self who has a unique name of yours. You always identify yourself with this body of yours.

But what happens to you when you are asleep. During sleep, you are not conscious about this gross body of yours. If you dream during the sleep state then you identify yourself with a dream body of yours & not this gross body which is asleep. Now during waking state you identify yourself with this gross body of yourself ,while in dream state you identify yourself with the dream body of yourself. Now who you are, Gross body or Dream body?

Now sometimes it also happens that you have a deep sleep & in such a state you do not dream also. After such a deep sleep when you wake up, you say, 'I have slept well,' or 'I have slept badly.' So when there is no consciousness of Gross body or Dream body in deep sleep then also you say that you slept well. Now who is this I or you who was there in such a deep sleep state, watching this deep sleep state. Otherwise, who is there in dream state who watches these dreams & on waking up describes that I had very bad dreams or sweet dreams. In fact this is your true Self, your Soul, which is beyond this Gross body or Dream body.

The physical body cannot be considered as your real Self, because even when you are fast asleep and are not conscious of this gross body, still you are existing. So, if you can exist even without the consciousness of a body, it follows from that experience that you can exist without the body. That means you are not the body. One who is the experiencer, the witness, in all the three states of waking, dreaming and sleeping, this is pure consciousness your true Self, your Soul.

Now here below is described how your true Self or Soul remains there in three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep.

1) Wakeful state. In the wakeful state, a person sees its own gross body and the gross world outside. It enjoys the world through its mind and senses. It does various types of actions & after hard work when he/she is tired of actions and enjoyments, one goes to sleep and enters into dreaming state.

2) Dreaming state. In this state, Self or Soul remains in a subtle body which is different from the gross body. In the subtle body through imagination, it creates its own illuminated worldly beings and objects. Dreaming world is an imagination of your own being, your mind only. With one's mind and senses, a being enjoys its own dreaming world.

3) Deep sleep state. During waking and dream states, one remains in a state of active mode, i.e. one's Mind and senses remain always active. But as soon as Self or Soul enters into deep sleep, body (both gross and subtle), mind and senses remain in complete rest. Self or Soul remains in its pure state--it remains alone. There is no dualism. There is none other than the Self or Soul. For this, one sees nothing and hears nothing. In such a state of complete rest one enjoys bliss as one's mind is not disturbed by anything. In deep sleep one finds complete happiness & bliss.

So we have seen that this dream body of ours is not true as it dissolves when we wake up & dream state is over. Similarly this gross physical body of ours is also not permanent & true as it dissolves at the time of death. But your Self, your Soul which is beyond any type of body, is real & true as it remains even when dream or gross physical body is dissolved. Below verses of Bhagwat Gita says about this truth only.

"na-asato vidyate bhavo
nabhavo vidyate satah
ubhayor api drsto ’ntas
tv anayos tattva-darshibhih" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 16)

"Sri Krishna said: The unreal has no existence, and the real (Soul) never ceases to be; the reality of both has thus been perceived by the seers of the truth."

"avyakto ’yam acintyo ’yam
avikaryo ’yam ucyate
tasmad evam viditvainam
nanusocitum arhasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 25)

"Sri Krishna said: It is said that the soul is invisible, unmanifest, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body."

"tamas tv ajnana-jam viddhi
mohanam sarva-dehinam
pramadalasya-nidrabhis
tan nibadhnati bharata" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 8)

"Sri Krishna said: Know Tamo-gun or Tamas, the deluder of all those, who look upon body as their own Self, as born of ignorance. It binds the Soul through error, sloth & sleep.

So let's always see ourself to be that Soul only as it is eternally present. It always remains in a body, be it gross or subtle. When the gross body is destroyed at death, it still remains in a subtle body. So let's not identify ourselves with this gross body but with the eternal Soul. Let's think ourself to be part & parcel of that Universal Soul (God) than identifying ourself with this body. Once we do that we shall always be with that Universal Soul (God) & shall always enjoy happiness & bliss in life.

Bhaav (भाव or Spiritual Emotion)

In our routine day to day life, we express emotions toward our children, family members & friends very frequently. But for how many minutes in your daily life, any emotions arouse in your mind for the God? For how much time do we remember Him? Basically we all are worldly people & our emotions, our feelings are all related to our worldly life. For most of us, our worldly life, family life comes first & God comes later. Now, it would be little better if we give little more priority to God who has created us & is maintaining our life & this whole world. Let's have little emotion towards God also in our life. Let's understand Him. If we are able to generate little feeling or emotion towards the God then such "Spiritual Emotion" is called "Bhaav or भाव".

"Bhaav or भाव" is basically a Sanskrit word for "Feeling", "Emotion", "Mood" or "Devotional state of mind". English translation of "Bhaav" is "Spiritual Emotion". When such "Spiritual Emotion" is aroused in one's mind, it replaces the ego or ‘I'-ness in one’s life by the awareness of the existence of God. When one is in a state of Spiritual Emotion, one’s sub-conscious mind merges with the God for the time being & experiences communion with God. Spiritual Emotion is a state experienced in the Path of Devotion (Bhaktiyoga). During the state of "Bhaav" or "Spiritual Emotion" there is an intense awareness about the existence of God while carrying out day-to-day life activities. Spiritual Emotion is also a state of experiencing God’s presence everywhere.

Devotees of God generally live in the thought of God & live in a mood of ecstasy and self-surrender. Such devotees channel their emotional energies toward the God. Gopis of Vrindavan, including Radha Rani were of that devotional cult, who fell in Love with the God, Lord Krishna. Meerabai in recent times also considered Lord Krishna with such devotion only. Gopis & Radha's love for Lord Krishna was so strong that in His absence their mind always yearned for Him. Below are described the "Bhaav" or "Spiritual Emotions" of one Gopi who is yearning to meet God - Lord Krishna :

"O Krishna! You are Lord of my life. You always remain so in my life. O Lord, don't keep me out of your mind. O Lord, pl. don't forget me."

"O Krishna! My heart is crying for you, pl. do come. My soul is crying for you, pl. do come. O God, there is burning desire in my heart to meet you, pl. do come. Now pangs of separation are unbearable. Now even if I die Krishna, but see, even after death, my desire to meet you shall not die, as all my such desires are indestructible like You only. It shall live on forever till You meet me."

Sri Radha Rani is the greatest devotee of Lord Shri Krishna. It is said that Sri Radha is herself the "Devotional energy" of Lord Shri Krishna who is the Lord of the universe. Her name always comes before the name of Lord Krishna that is why God's one name is "Radha Krishna" also. As Sri Radha Rani is always in the thought of Lord Shri Krishna the Supreme God, so her state of "Spiritual Emotion" is called "Maha Bhaav or महाभाव" i.e. the highest state of Spiritual Emotion or Spiritual Ecstasy.

As per the Bhagwat Gita, devotion is the easiest method to develop "Bhaav" & get close to the God. God himself declares about the glory of devotion in Bhagwat Gita:

"man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaishyasi satyam te
pratijane priyo ’si me" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65)

"Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend."

"sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
mokshayisyami ma suchah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 66)

"Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear."

"ye tu dharmamritam idam
yathoktam paryupasate
sraddadhana mat-parama
bhaktas te ’tiva me priyah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Twelve verse 20)

"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: O Arjuna, Those who follow this imperishable path of devotional service and who completely engage themselves with faith, making Me the supreme goal, are very, very dear to Me."

"mayy eva mana adhatsva
mayi buddhim nivesaya
nivasisyasi mayy eva
ata urdhvam na samsayah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Twelve verse 8)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Just fix your mind upon Me and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt."

So let's have devotion in God. Let's remember God for some time in our daily life so that we too can generate some "Bhaav" or "Spiritual Emotion" towards the God. Once that is developed, we shall always find God near us & our life shall be filled with joy, love & ecstasy.

Divine Chants

Chant is basically the rhythmic singing or speaking of words or sounds. It often includes a great deal of repetition of musical sounds. Chanting is a commonly used spiritual practice. Just like Prayer to God, Chanting is also used to invoke the God. Chanting can be done individually or as a group practice. Diverse spiritual traditions consider Chant as a route to spiritual development. The concept of Chanting mantras is of particular significance in many Hindu traditions and other closely related Dharmic Religions. For example, the Hare Krishna movement is based especially on the chanting of Sanskrit Names of God.

"Divine Chants" are chanting the names of God which give peace of mind. It is one form of the Divine Satsang and Kirtan that happens generally in Indian society. Listening to these chants regularly gives lot of peace of mind. These Divine Chants can make people dancing to it's tune to ecstasy.

Some of the beautiful chants are here below. Just click on the link to see the video of the said chant:

1) MahaMantra - "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" - It's a chant of the Mantra:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna,Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama,Rama Rama Hare Hare

2) "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna" - It is a beautiful chant sung in the praise of Lord Krishna & Lord Rama.

3) Gayatri Mantra - It is a sacred Hindu chant. It is widely used in meditation & listening to this chant brings peace of mind. As per Bhagwat Gita God is present in the form of WORD as "Gayatri Mantra".

4) "Hey Govind Hey Gopal, Radha Vallabh Madan Gopal" - It is a beautiful chant sung in the praise of Lord Krishna.

5) "Mahamrityunjaya Mantra"- Sacred Chant of Lord Shiva - It is a Sacred Mantra / Japa / recitation of Lord Shiva. Repeated recitation of this Mantra bestows special blessings of Lord Shiva.

6) "Gopal Muraliya Wale, Nandlal Muraliya Wale" - It is a beautiful chant sung in the praise of Lord Krishna.

7) "Krishna Govind Govind, Gopal Nandlal" - It is a beautiful chant sung in the praise of Lord Krishna.

8) "Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram" - Lord Rama Chant - It is a Devotional Chant / prayer sung in the praise of Hindus God Rama. A beautiful Chant pleasing to the ears.



Below are few verses from Bhagwat Gita which suggests for the chanting of Mantras:

"maharsinam bhrgur aham
giram asmy ekam aksharam
yajnanam japa-yajno ’smi
sthavaranam himalayah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 25)

"Sri Krishna said: Of the great sages I am Bhrgu; of vibrations I am the transcendental Om. Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names / japa, and of immovable things I am the Himalayas."

"om tat sat iti nirdeso
brahmanas tri-vidhah smrtah
brahmanas tena vedas cha
yajnas cha vihitah pura" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Seventeen verse 23)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, From the beginning of creation, the three words "Om Tat Sat" were used to indicate the Absolute Truth. These three symbolic representations were used by Brahmins while chanting the hymns of the Vedas and during sacrifices for the satisfaction of the God."

"satatam kirtayanto mam
yatantas cha drdha-vratah
namasyantas cha mam bhaktya
nitya-yukta upasate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 14)

"Sri Krishna said: Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion."

One Who Has Hands & Feet Everywhere

Why do we go to a temple, church, gurudwara, mosque or all other religious places of our faith? Simple answer to it is that we go to Pray to God & get His blessings. Quite right, but is it so that God shall bless you in a temple, church, gurudwara, mosque etc. only? God is all merciful & His Divine grace or Blessing or 'Kripa' (कृपा) can happen on all of us anywhere & everywhere. God is present everywhere i.e. He is omnipresent & is present at all places, all the times. He is there within your house, your living room & your place of worship. So it is not necessary to go to some outside place of worship only to find God but you can worship & get His Blessings within your home only. Below verse of Bhagwat Gita explains His omnipresent nature.

sarvatah pani-padam tat
sarvato ’ksi-siro-mukham
sarvatah shrutimal loke
sarvam avrtya tishthati (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Thirteen verse 14)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Everywhere are His (God's) hands and feet, His eyes, heads and faces, and He has ears everywhere. In this way the Super Soul exists, pervading everything in this world."

So just have faith in God & get the mercy of God within your home only. God's merciful hand shall extend to your house if you show devotion in Him. When His grace shall happen then God shall give you, whatever, you are lacking in life & also shall protect your life & belongings. Then you shall always be protected in life by God. Such type of Special mercy of God shall only happen on you when you shall engage your mind in thinking of God, become God's devotee, offer obeisance's to God and shall always worship Him. Being completely absorbed in God, surely you shall become eligible for God's Special mercy.

Below verses of Bhagwat Gita ensure that only:

"ananyas cintayanto mam
ye janah paryupasate
tesham nityabhiyuktanam
yoga-ksemam vahamy aham" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 22)

"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have."

"sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
mokshayisyami ma suchah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 66)

"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna : Abandon all varieties of religion or Setting aside all meritorious deeds, just surrender unto Me. I shall liberate you from all sins. Do not fear."

So just think that God is forever in your heart & shall never give you up or never depart. He is always with you. So always trust in your life that God is near you.