Offer All Your Karmas to God only

In Bhagwat Gita many times some verses come that we should have Love & have Devotion to God & that we should devote our mind to God. But there also comes many verses that we should devote all our Actions to God. Now how can we devote all of our actions to God?

This whole world is the creation of God only & knowingly, unknowingly, we all are working for the maintenance of this world only. Just introspect & see that, whatever, work or job (good one), you are doing in this world, it is helping in some way or the other in maintaining & sustaining this world. Just take it in that sense, that if all the people of the earth stop doing their daily work, duties, this whole world shall come to a standstill. In that case nobody shall grow food, vegetables, fruits & other things which sustain our life & hence we shall all die. Same is the case with other professions & each person is adding value to this world by doing his/her duty.

Now, though we do duty to sustain this world only but we don't realize that. As this world is a creation of God, so we should work for Him only. If we develop this sense that we are working selflessly to sustain this world created by God only, then also we shall develop an affinity towards God.

Below are few verses from Bhagwat Gita in which God is asking his disciple Arjuna to do all his actions / activities for Him only.

"mayi sarvani karmani
sannyasyadhyatma-cetasa
nirasir nirmamo bhutva
yudhyasva vigata-jvarah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 30)

"Sri Krishna said: Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and free from lethargy, fight."

'Ye tu srvani krmani
myi sanyasya mat-para
anany-naiv yogen
maam dhyayant upasate '

'Tesham-aham samud-dharta
mrityu-sansar-saagrat
bhavami na-chirat parth
mayy-avesita-chetsam ' (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter XII verse 6-7 )

"Sri Krishna said: Those people, who worship Me by surrendering all their activities unto Me, are always devoted to Me, always meditate upon Me, Having always fixing their minds upon Me, O Parth - to them, I swiftly rescue from the ocean of birth and death."

Through above verse 6 & 7, God is telling 'Parth' (another name of Arjuna, his disciple), that those people who work for God only & offer all their activities & work to Him only, to such a Soul He shows great mercy, always protects him & finally rescues him during & after death.

"yajnarthat karmano ’nyatra
loko ’yam karma-bandhanah
tad-artham karma kaunteya
mukta-sangah samachara" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 9)

"Sri Krishna said: Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has to be performed, otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O Arjuna, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage."

In the above verses, God is making very clear that if a person offers all his work & activities to God, thinking this world to be a creation of God only, then also He shall be happy with that person & shall protect & shall deliver that person from the cycles of birth & death. By working for God, we shall attain peace & shall attain His love & devotion. So Let's all Work for God only.

Jai Sri Krishna

When Lord Krishna Cursed Ashwathama

All religions of the world teach us to do good karmas, good acts & that we should not harm anybody by our acts. God is also with those people who live a life who do good karmas / acts in their life. God bestows on those people all the health, wealth, happiness & bliss of life. On the contrary, God gets very disturbed, very angry with those people who always do bad karmas / acts in their life. Once God gets angry with some person, then that person loses all the health, wealth & happiness in life. Below is the story of Ashwathama who was given a curse by Lord Krishna at the end of Mahabharata war. Story goes like that:

“Mahabharata war happened between the Pandavas and the Kauravas in 3139 BC or 5152 years before, from this year 2013 AD. The Pandavas, after winning the Mahabharata war, ruled Hastinapur for 36 years and 8 months until the beginning of Kaliyug in 3102 BC. In the end of the Mahabharata war when Duryodhana was killed by Bheema, then remaining Kauravas warriors (including Ashwathama) made a deadly attempt to kill the Pandavas brothers in the night when they would be sleeping. Ashwathama was the son of Dronacharya, Guru of Pandavas and the Kauravas.

On that night Lord Krishna somehow took all the 5 Pandavas, somewhere else & Ashwathama entered into the tent of the Pandavas and mistakenly killed all the 5 sleeping sons of Pandavas and set the camp on fire. Later on Ashwathama through deadly weapon called Brahmastra also killed the child in the womb of the pregnant ‘Uttara’ (wife of martyr Abhimanyu - the great archer and son of Arjuna), however Lord Krishna later revived the child through His Grace. So Ashwathama tried to kill everyone in the Pandava’s family. On this Lord Krishna became very angry with Ashwathama & Cursed him badly. Lord Krishna Cursed him like this:

O! Ashwathama “You will carry the burden of all the people’s sins on your shoulders and will roam alone like a ghost without getting any love and courtesy till the end of Kaliyuga, You will have neither any hospitality nor any accommodation; You will be in total isolation from the mankind and society; Your body will suffer from a host of incurable diseases forming sores and ulcers that would never heal. May you, Ashwathama, lead the most wretched life anyone can ever lead. May you never receive love or affection ever in your life unto the end of Time ”.

Ashwathama had a Mani (gem) since his birth in his forehead which used to protect him from the fear of any snakes, ghosts, demigods and demons. Lord Sri Krishna asked Ashwatthama to surrender this Mani (gem) & took it from him. Lord Sri Krishna further said that “the wound caused by the removal of this Mani (gem) on his forehead will never heal and he will suffer from leprosy and wound in his forehead will always seep blood and Puss, thus arousing a foul smell till the end of Kaliyuga”. So in this way, Ashwathama will be in search of death every moment, and yet he will never die. At the end of Kali Yuga, Ashwathama shall meet God Sri Kalki, the tenth avatar of Lord Vishnu.”

It is said that from the last 5152 years, Ashwathama is still roaming on earth in and around the Narmada river in India. As Mahakaal (Lord Shiva) can only free him from the curse so it is said that he still visits the shivling at a temple near the Narmada river every morning and places a rose flower there in temple which he creates from his tap / spiritual power every day.

So from the above story it is quite evident that we should never do any harm to anyone, as otherwise, God shall punish us badly. In Bhagwat Gita Lord Krishna says that:

"aneka-citta-vibhranta
moha-jala-samavrtah
prasaktah kama-bhogesu
patanti narake ’suchau" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Sixteen verse 16)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Thus perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network of illusions, these evil people become too strongly attached to sense enjoyment and fall down into hell."

"tan aham dvisatah kruran
samsaresu naradhaman
ksipamy ajasram asubhan
asurisv eva yonisu" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Sixteen verse 19)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, "These haters, evil, cruel, & vilest among men, I ( God) repeatedly throw them into demoniacal wombs in this world."

"asurim yonim apanna
mudha janmani janmani
mam aprapyaiva kaunteya
tato yanty adhamam gatim" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Sixteen verse 20)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Attaining repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac life, such persons can never approach Me. Gradually they sink down to the most abominable, lowest type of existence."

So let’s do good karmas only & not harm anybody by our acts. God shall be with us if we live a life doing good karmas / acts in our life. God shall bestow on us all the health, wealth, happiness & bliss of life, if our Karmas / acts are good.

Jai Shri Krishna

God Loves You & He Is There In Your Heart Only

Many a times we look for a thing in the outer world while it is very near to us. Once a man lost his spectacles. He looked for it all over his house but could not find it. Then he asked his son whether he has seen his spectacles. The son coolly said, “Father, it is tucked on your head only”. Most of us are also many times, searching for the things in places, where we know they are not. Similarly people are searching for the God in the outer world. People search for the God in temples, in churches, in synagogues etc. All these temples, churches etc. are man-made. Nobody is looking into their own body, their own self, which is the only place which is not man-made, it is the only place which is made by God & the place where God actually resides.

A deer who is having the Kasturi (Musk) in his body only, searches for the cause of fragrance all over there in the wild, while that sweet fragrance is coming from the inside of his body only. Same is the case with us that we are searching for the God outside ourselves while He is sitting in our heart only.

"In the olden days, one Indian village hired a night-watchman to keep a vigil during night time to check for robbers that were frequent in those times. Night-watchman would go around the streets and lanes in the village with a square metal lantern, open only at the front. The watchman could see, wherever the lantern cast its light. No rays of light used to fell on him, who carried the lantern. If you wanted to see who the watchman was, you had to ask him to turn the lamp back on his own face. We too are like that watchman!!! Our eyes (ears, tongue, nostril etc.) are all facing outward, looking at and feeling the things of the world. God says, "If you want to see me, turn the lamp around; look within your heart and you shall find the Source of all the light over there."

Same is said in the Bhagwat Gita by Lord Krishna:

"sarvasya chaham hridi sannivisto"
God is seated in everyone’s heart Bhagwat Gita Chapter Fifteen verse 15

"ishvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese ’rjuna tishthati" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 61)

The Supreme God dwells/resides in the hearts of all beings.

"jyotisam api taj jyotis
tamasah param ucyate
jnanam jneyam jnana-gamyam
hridi sarvasya visthitam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Thirteen verse 18)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, He is the source of light in all luminous objects. He is beyond the darkness of matter and is un-manifested. He is knowledge, He is the object of knowledge, and He is the goal of knowledge. He is situated in everyone’s heart."

Below are verses from Mundaka Upanishad explaining that our body is the Temple in which the Divinity of your Soul & Supersoul (God) both live together only:

"dva suparna sayuja sakhaya
samanam vriksham praishasvajate
tayor anyah pippalam svadv
atty anasnann anyo 'bhicakasiti"

In the tree of this body, Soul & Supersoul (God), are like two friendly birds sitting on the same tree. One of the birds (the individual atomic Soul) is eating the fruit of the tree (the sense gratification afforded by the material body), and the other bird (the Supersoul) is not trying to eat these fruits, but is simply watching His friend.

"samane vrikshe purusho nimagno
'nisaya socati muhyamanah jushtam
yada pasyati anyam isam asya
mahimanam iti vita-sokah"

Although the two birds are on the same tree, the eating bird is fully engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of the tree. But if in some way or other he turns his face to his friend who is the Lord, and knows His glories, at once the suffering bird becomes free of all anxieties.

So let's look inwards & find the God in our hearts who is the source of all Joy, Peace & Bliss. Be sure that "God Loves You", only thing is that you need to turn toward HIM. So when God is there in your heart in "Antaryami" aspect then you can always find daily some time from your daily routine & can pray to Him in your home only, while closing your eyes, sitting in a lonely peaceful place. Daily praying to Him like this shall make you more peaceful & shall make you feel more closer to God.

Jai Shri Krishna

We Should Not Discriminate With Anybody & Should See God In Everyone's Heart

Here below is a beautiful story how a devotee of God could not drink the nectar & attain to immortality as he could not see the God present in all beings.

"Once there was a Brahmin who was a great devotee of Lord Krishna. He had no home & always used to wander in secluded areas. He was free of desire, lust, hatred, greed & used to live in a world of his own.

Lord Krishna became very happy with his devotion & asked him for a boon. Brahmin told Lord Krishna that he was desire less and he did not want anything, but Lord Krishna insisted for some boon to be granted to him as a reward of his devotion. At this Brahmin asked for a boon that ,whenever, he was in need of water & he felt thirsty, water may be provided to him. Lord Krishna granted him that boon & disappeared.

One day, Brahmin after walking for a long distance felt thirsty, but there was no trace of water. Then he remembered that the Lord Krishna had granted him a boon that he would find water at his desire. Suddenly, he saw a hunter dressed in torn rags accompanied by furious dogs, carrying water in a leather pouch and asked him, "Sir, would you like to have some water." Looking at the apparent impure condition of the hunter & being a staunch Brahmin (High caste), he felt repelled. He politely refused "No, Thank you". The hunter again approached him for the water, but in utter disgust & in anger the Brahmin told the hunter to go way and that he was not interested in the water. The hunter and the dogs disappeared. Witnessing this, he realized that it must be God, who disguised Himself and came to quench his thirst. He felt hurt how Lord Krishna could send water to him through an impure, Scheduled Caste person. How could Lord expect a Brahmin to accept and drink water from the impure leather bag?

Now Lord Krishna again appeared before the Brahmin, smiled and asked him 'Who was the hunter? Lord Krishna told the Brahmin that He had asked the Indra Devta (King of heaven) to fetch the water, who instead of water, had actually brought nectar to make you immortal, but on one condition to test whether you could see the Divinity in all. 'Hence I allowed him to do so'.

Brahmin understood how he had failed in the test. It was his Ego, which made him refuse the nectar, which came in the form of water and through Indra Devta.

So the moral of the story is that we should see the God/Divinity present in all beings & we should not discriminate with any body & love everyone equally."

Now all the religious texts & Bhagwat Gita also teaches us that we should love all beings equally as the God resides in everyone's heart & seeing the presence of that divinity present in all beings, we should not discriminate with any body & love everyone equally. Below verses of Bhagwat Gita explain that only:

"sarvasya chaham hridi sannivisto
mattah smritir jnanam apohanam cha
vedais cha sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedanta-krd veda-vid eva chaham" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fifteen verse 15)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me comes remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas."

Jai Sri Krishna