Don’t Teach or Change ‘Egoistic Persons’

Once "Lord Vishnu" with his wife "Goddess Lakshmi" while traveling through the universe, came to our planet earth from the heaven. On coming to earth, "Goddess Lakshmi" saw a dirty pig sitting in "Mud (Keechad)" which was smelling badly & was full of filth. Seeing such a condition of the Pig, "Goddess Lakshmi" showed her concern about the living condition of the Pig to "Lord Vishnu". She asked the Lord to uplift the condition of the Pig.

Lord Vishnu knew that it was in the habit of the Pig to live in such a filthy condition & said to "Goddess Lakshmi" to stop thinking about this Pig. But she insisted Lord Vishnu to uplift the Pig's condition & even suggested to Lord Vishnu that they should take this Pig to heaven with them. At this "Lord Vishnu" asked the "Goddess Lakshmi" that she should talk to the Pig only & take his viewpoint in this case. So "Goddess Lakshmi" went to the Pig & told him that she was very much perturbed with his such condition & told him that she has decided to take him to the heaven.

On hearing this, Pig asked the "Goddess Lakshmi"; Shall there be "Mud (filth) in the heaven as he feels happy in that condition only???
"Goddess Lakshmi" was very much perplexed at listening this & stopped thinking of uplifting the condition of that Pig.

Similarly, once there was a man who always used to live in an area full of filth & dirty smell. He was so used to living in that area that he never felt any unease living in such surroundings. One day that man went through an area where there were many shops of Perfume (Scent, Itr, sweet smelling liquid, fragrance giving liquid). On smelling such sweet fragrances coming from that area, that man actually fainted.
Same is the case with many of the people, who have a similar condition within their mind. Such people too have filth filled inside their mind. They lack the internal purity & are possessed of hypocrisy, conceit, arrogance, jealousy & are very egoistic. Their mind is given to insatiable passion, lust & anger. They are given to the enjoyment of sensuous pleasures only. Such people strive to obtain by unlawful means hoards of money for the enjoyment of sensuous pleasures. Such people are self-important, unbending, filled with the intoxication of wealth & honor. These people are given over to egoism, violence, insolence, passion & anger.

"kamam asritya duspuram
dambha-mana-madanvitah
mohad grhitvasad-grahan
pravartante ’suci-vratah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Sixteen verse 10)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Taking shelter of insatiable lust and absorbed in the conceit of pride and false prestige, the demoniac, thus disillusioned , are always sworn to unclean work, attracted by the impermanent."

Such malicious persons hate the God that dwells in the bodies of others, as well, as in their own body. Above mentioned qualities of hypocrisy, conceit, arrogance, jealousy, passion, lust, anger etc. are the qualities of a "Mental Filthy" person only. If you ask or teach them to change their mental position then they are as reluctant as a "Filthy Pig" to change their condition.

"ahankaram balam darpam
kamam krodham cha samsritah
mam atma-para-dehesu
pradvisanto ’bhyasuyakah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Sixteen verse 18)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Bewildered by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, the bad natured people become envious of the Supreme Lord, who is situated in their own bodies and in the bodies of others, and blaspheme against the real religion."

We need to know that such bad qualities in mind take the shape of habit & are very difficult to remove. We should make a resolve to remove all such bad qualities like hypocrisy, conceit, arrogance, jealousy, anger etc. from our mind as we cannot go to heaven (mental peace) with all such bad qualities.

Jai Sri Krishna

Don't be like a Parrot but be Practical

"Once there was a Holy teacher who was having a big hermitage. He was having a pet Parrot to whom he taught how not to get caught in the forest by the hunter’s trap. His parrot, who could speak well learnt all those ways & recited daily to his friends in the forest those ways, how not to get caught in the hunter’s trap. All of his friends learnt all the ways well.

One day a hunter came in the forest. The parrot started reciting loudly all the ways how to run away & not to get caught in the hunter’s trap. All of the friends of the parrot ran away & escaped the hunter’s trap but that parrot did nothing but went on chanting those lines, how not to get caught in the trap of the hunter. So he himself was trapped & killed while all his friends acting on his advice ran away & saved their lives.

So the Holy teacher told his disciples that, "Don’t be like that parrot who only believed in chanting but be practical in implementing his advice in their lives as then only they can be great people. God is happy with those who do the action & not mere recite the holy words."

Below are verses of Bhagwat Gita which tell that doing action is better than not working at all :

"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.



Jai Sri Krishna

How to get rid of Sins as per Bhagwat Gita

In Hinduism, Pāpa is the word generally used for Sin. Sin is nothing but doing acts which go against the will of God, or going against the laws of nature or rules of scriptures given by God. Now how we can get rid of our sins?

In Bhagwat Gita, we find many quotes which explain about how we can eliminate our sins. As per Bhagwat Gita there are two main ways to get rid of your sins. One way is to to learn the truth about soul knowledge & God by approaching a spiritual master, inquiring from him submissively and rendering service unto him. The self-realized souls (Gurus, masters having the true knowledge) can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth. So by having the transcendental knowledge you shall burn & get rid of all your sins.

"tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darshinah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four verse 34)

"Sri Krishna said: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth."

"api ced asi papebhyah
sarvebhyah papa-krt-tamah
sarvam jnana-plavenaiva
vrjinam santarisyasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four verse 36)

"Sri Krishna said: Even if you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you are situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge you will be able to cross over the ocean of miseries."

"yathaidhamsi samiddho ’gnir
bhasma-sat kurute ’rjuna
jnanagnih sarva-karmani
bhasma-sat kurute tatha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four verse 37)

"Sri Krishna said: As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all sins & reactions to material activities."

One other way to get rid of all your sins is to take refuge in God through "Devotion". In Bhagwat Gita, God assures his disciple Arjuna in many ways & asks him to take refuge in Him & says that He shall emancipate him of sin in all ways, shall rescue him in his life always. Many times we think that we have done many sins in life & how God shall accept us, but God makes very clear in Bhagwat Gita that once a person become devoted to Him, He does not considers that person a sinner, rather God considers that person to be a Saint as he has taken the right decision in his life to become devoted to God.

Api chet su-duracharo
bhajate maam ananya-bhak
sadhurev sa mantavya
samyag vyvasito hi sah' (Gita: Chapter IX verse 30 )

'Even if the vilest sinner worships Me with full devotion, he should be considered a noble soul or saint; as he has taken the right step by worshipping me.'
'
kshipram bhavti dharmatma
shasvac-chantim nigachati
kauntey pratijanihi
na me bhaktah pranashyati' (Gita: Chapter IX verse 31)

'He speedily becomes virtuous and secures lasting peace. O son of Kunti, know it for certain that My devotee never falls.'

Through above verse 31, God is telling Arjuna that such a sinful person after becoming His devotee becomes a person of good virtues and always remain in peace & such a peace is not temporary but is ever lasting. God is assuring the son of Kunti ( another name of Arjuna, his disciple) that his devotee never falls again in life as He always protect him. So let's all worship the God always so that He can protect us always.

'man-mna bhav mad-bhakto
madhyaji maam namaskuru
maam-evaishyasi yuktvaivam
atmanam mat-parayanah' (Gita: Chapter IX verse 34)

'Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to me, worship Me & offer obeisance's to Me. In this way, linking to Me, you shall surely come to Me.'

Through above verse 34, God is asking Arjuna to fix his mind on God as after worshipping Him & paying obeisance's to God, he shall automatically come to Him. We should also follow the same path & let's become devoted to him by praying Him daily. God is very clear that once a person comes in God's refuge, then all his problems are solved & God becomes his protector in this life & life beyond.

Jai Shri Krishna

Read also............................God Assures you that He shall protect you
Read also............................Lord, Fill the Cup of my life

Basis of Life & Rebirth as per 'Bhagwat Gita'

Basis of Hindu philosophy in 'Bhagwat Gita' is that one who is born, shall die one day & whosoever, dies shall be reborn again certainly. The embodied soul in this body is immortal. As per 'Bhagwat Gita-Chapter Two Verse – 23' : 

"nainam chindanti shastrani
nainam dahati pavakah
na chainam kledayanty apo
na sosayati marutah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 23)

Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind."

It cannot be cut with any weapon, fire cannot burn it, it is impervious to water & it cannot drench it & neither air can dry this soul. As soul is beyond this visible nature elements of fire, water, air, earth etc. so these nature elements cannot cause any damage to the immortal soul.

If a person becomes firm in that belief only that soul inside his body is immortal, then too he attains immortality as then that person goes beyond the visible nature which has formed this visible body of ours.

Now what is immortality? This soul of ours wears this body made of nature elements. After karmic cycle, depending on the Karmas of our previous life, soul drops this body at death & takes on another body based on the Karmas of our present life. Again we do Karmas in our next birth & that becomes the basis of our further next birth for this soul. So this cycle of wearing different bodies goes on for this soul. As we all feel pleasure & pain in one's life, so can't it be possible that we can avoid this pain that we feel in our body.

As per 'Bhagwat Gita-Chapter Eighteen Verse – 55' :

"bhaktya mam abhijanati
yavan yas chasmi tattvatah
tato mam tattvato jnatva
visate tad-anantaram" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 55)

 "Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God."

When we go to a perpetual divine life, which is beyond this nature, which forms this body then that life is beyond all this pain & is a blissful life. To attain that we have to establish our self in our soul. As God is the Supreme Soul from whom all these souls have emanated, so worshipping Him constantly, one shall be established in the soul & shall attain a blissful life.

Jai Sri Krishna

You Should Appreciate What You Have In Life

Once a wealthy man took his son on a trip to the countryside, so that he could have his son see how poor life the country people live.

They stayed one day and one night in the home of a very humble farmer. At the end of the trip, when they were back home, the father asked his son, "What did you think of the trip?"

The son replied, "Very nice dad."

Then the father asked his son, "Did you notice how poor they were?"

The son replied, "Yes."

The father continued asking, "What did you learn?"

The son responded, "I learned that we have one dog in our house, and they have four.

And we have imported lamps in our garden . . . where they have the stars!

Also, we have a fountain in our garden, but they have a stream that has no end.

And our garden goes to the edge of our property. But they have the entire horizon as their back yard!"

At the end of the son's reply the father was speechless.

His son then said, "Thank you dad for showing me how poor we really are."

Isn't it true that all depends on the lens you use to see life?

One can ask himself what would happen if we give thanks to God for what we have in life instead of always asking for more.

So now do you remain sad sometimes? Do you feel frustrated that you do not have what you wanted in life? Do you feel jealous of others for the things they possess & you don't have? Do you feel disillusioned with your life sometimes? Have you lost something in life which you already had?

In your life you always want to achieve more & more but feel frustrated if you do not get it. If you have some money, you want more of it. If you have a house, you want a bigger one with more facilities in it. If you do not have a car, you want to have one. If you do have a car then you want a bigger & more luxurious one. We want to fulfill all of our dreams in life but feel depressed & frustrated if we are not able to achieve these. We do also feel frustrated if we lose something which we were already having. In fact, our mind is very fickle. It constantly hankers after the "Things of Desire" & feel sad, depressed when it's wishes are not fulfilled. Below verse of Bhagwat Gita tells about the fickle nature of our mind. As per that our mind is very restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong & controlling it is more difficult than controlling the wind. Due to this fickle nature of our mind, it always demand & want more. Due to restless nature of mind we are not at peace with ourselves.



"chanchalam hi manah krishna
pramathi balavad drdham
tasyaham nigraham manye
vayor iva su-duskaram" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Six verse 34)

"Arjuna said: For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind."

Now just see your present life as it is. Our basic problem is that we do not appreciate the positive aspects in our lives. Our nature is to ponder on the negatives & what we don't have in life. To us others grass always seem greener. In fact we should appreciate what we already have. That shall give you a strength that at least you have been able to achieve that much. Do not compare yourself with someone very rich & with much more facilities & resources than you. Just see how good you are from those who lay a life along roadside without even having a roof over there head. If you have a small house then be happy that at least you are having a roof over your head despite the fact that you're not yet living in the home of your dreams. Just appreciate, whatever, you have achieved in life till today. Just see that there are many who have not achieved even that in life & you are much better of than many many on this earth. All around you, there are many people who are less fortunate than yourself. So we should always appreciate & give thanks to God for what we have in life.

It is all right that we all want to be better in life than what we are today. It is all right that if we work hard in life, we can fulfill our dreams. But there is no reason to get depressed in life just comparing yourself with rich, resourceful persons & moaning that you do not have all that in life. We should not forget about our own limit and capacity.

So let's be grateful to God for whatever we have in life. If you are able to thank God for, whatever, He has given you in life, then also you shall appreciate what you have in life. We should always focus on the positives in life. So let us start appreciating what we have. Appreciate what you have achieved in life till now. Appreciate your own looks & body. Appreciate the house you live in. Appreciate that you & your family are having good food while there are many who are not just having that also. Appreciate your loved ones, your children. Appreciation of yourself shall bring confidence in you, it shall also bring peace & happiness in your family life.

Let us learn to appreciate what you have in life. Wealth is all in one's point of view.



Read also.............Be Calm like an Ocean

Read also.............Peace of Mind