Do You Seek Help Of God?

Do you seek help of God? If yes, then you are first a believer in God & second you depend on God's grace in your life. Believing in God & Depending on God is good as then you are connecting yourself directly with the marvel of this infinite existence. You shall then be able to know this world better than if you are a non believer in God.

What is the meaning & value of God in your life? Do you depend on God in your bad times? Is God directly involved in your personal life?

Answers to all the above questions have become the subject of a new research. As per the findings published in the journal ‘Sociology of Religion’, below are the findings, where it was found that 8 in 10 people depend on God for help in their life:

As per Sociology Professor Scott Schieman : "Many of us might assume that people of higher social class standing tend to reject beliefs about divine intervention. However, my findings indicate that while this is true among those less committed to religious life, it is not the case for people who are more committed to religious participation and rituals."

As many as 82 per cent said they depended on God for help and guidance in making decisions, while 71 per cent believed that when good or bad things happen, these occurrences are simply part of God's plan for them.

While 61 per cent held that God has determined the direction and course of their lives, 32 per cent agree with the statement: "There is no sense in planning a lot because ultimately my fate is in God's hands."
In Bhagwat Gita also God is teaching the same thing that if we turn toward the God, then God too turns toward us & always protects us in all circumstances. So let's always remember God in our good & bad times so that God can help us always in our life. Below are few verses from Bhagwat Gita which confirm that.

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

"Sri Krishna said: 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: O 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."

Jai Shri Krishna

Understanding Karmayoga as per the Hindu Philosophy

In the Earlier post on Karma, we have known & understood in detail about the "Karma" & how it is related to the origin of one's own body. How Karmas of earlier births become the basis of this birth & how Karmas of this birth become the basis of one's next birth & so on. Now in this post we shall understand about the Karmayoga & how one can know God through Karmayoga.

Simple meaning of Yoga is to get attached to God or to get one with the God. To attain this, there are many types of Yogas that are expounded in the Bhagwat Gita, like Sankhyayoga or the Yoga of Knowledge, Karmayoga or the Yoga of Selfless Action, Bhaktiyoga or the Yoga of Devotion etc. Among all these Yogas, Karmayoga is the one through which one can attain God by just devoting all his/her daily actions to God i.e. doing service of God by doing/devoting all life actions to Him.

Below are the verses from "Bhagwat Gita-Chapter Twelve- Verse - 6-7", in which God is asking his disciple Arjuna to do all his actions / activities for Him only.

'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 )

'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.

Now, how can we work for God only? 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 someway 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. 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.

Below is a verse from "Bhagwat Gita-Chapter Two Verse - 47",

"karmany evadhikaras te
ma phalesu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)

"Sri Krishna said: You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.

In the above verse God is asking his disciple Arjuna to perform his prescribed duty & not get attached to the fruits of its action. If one does all his/her actions without considering or thinking about the Fruits these actions shall produce & devotes that action & its fruit to the God only, then he/she is not bound by that action & that action shall not bear such fruits which shall be the cause of his/her next birth. Once a person is relieved of taking rebirths then that person can go to the abode of God & live there with Him & he becomes a liberated soul.

Art of doing actions for the sake of God only & doing all his/her actions without thinking or keeping in mind the fruit of that action is only what is called Karmayoga.

Jai Shri Krishna

Understanding Karma as per the Hindu Philosophy

"Karma" in its simplest term is "Action" only. Any action that we do with our body & mind is termed as "Karma" but the word "Karma" has a much greater significance as per the Hindu Philosophy than just simple meaning as "Action". In Hindu scriptures Karma is related to the origin of one's own body. Karmas of earlier birth become the basis of this birth & Karmas of this birth become the basis of his next birth & so on. This relation of Karmas to rebirth in Hindu Philosophy is the key thing which makes it different from doing just any action in life. Now how these Karmas are related to rebirth as per the Hindu Philosophy?

As per the Hindu Philosophy, any action that we do, produces some fruit or has a consequence. In simplest term, if a man works for 8 hrs in a mall, he expects his salary of 8 hrs at the end of his job. It may be given to him at the end of the job on that day, may accrue to his account weekly or monthly, but the man expects that he shall get his salary after doing the asked for job. So this "Expected Salary" is the "Fruit" of his 8 hrs of "Actions". Similarly any other "Action" or "Karma" done in life automatically has some "Fruit" attached to it. In terms of "Karmas" done by a man, all the consequential "Fruits" are determined by God himself. Say you donate some money to a Charity or you feed a poor man, what "Fruit" shall incur to you for this good work done by you? Or say some man beats a poor man or a man murders someone, then what "Fruit" shall incur to him for this ghastly act done by that person? In all such acts or Karmas done by all persons, the consequential "Fruits" are determined by God himself as per the divine laws & not by any human being.

So by now we have seen that all "Karmas" or actions done by a man have a Fruit related to it & that Fruit is determined by God only. But how these Karmas become the basis of Rebirth as per the Hindu Scriptures?

As per the Hindu Philosophy, any "Karma" done by a person, remains with that person, unless he/she has enjoyed the consequential Fruit arisen out of doing that Karma. For a good act done by him, he shall bear good result & enjoy it. Similarly for a bad act done by him, he shall bear bad result & shall have to bear punishment for it. Unless that person enjoys good or bad result/fruit arisen out of doing that Karma, it shall remain forever with that person & leave that person after that person has enjoyed the fruit arisen out of doing that Karma. Now whatever action/karma one performs with his body, mind or even speech, that Karma after getting finished, goes in to his reserved stock of Karmas i.e. it adds up to all the other accumulated karmas earlier done by him.

This stock of Karmas (having its reservoir in that person's mind) is having all the Karmas done by that person in this life & also done by that person in earlier births taken by that person. At the death of a person he/she takes with him/her all that accumulated Karmas which contain Karmas done in this birth & also the Karmas from the previous births for which its fruit is yet to be enjoyed .

So at the death of a person, out of this accumulated Karmas which that person carries, Divinity or God as per the divine law takes a handful of those Karmas which have begun to bear the fruits & a new body is made with the seeds of these fruit bearing Karmas. So basically any Karma done becomes the seed of the next birth. In Hindu Philosophy all these Karmas which become the basis of or the seeds of a new birth of a body, are called "Prarabdha" or "Fruit bearing actions" or "Fate" even. In the next birth, a person again does Karmas & these gets added to his earlier accumulated, unspent stock & so on this cycle goes on for a soul of taking birth after birth.

So in this way, so long as the reserve stock of Karmas remains with that person, a part of it continues to be taken out of that reserve stock by the Divinity as "Prarabdha" or "Fruit bearing actions", for being enjoyed in one life-time of that person. A soul's perpetual journey from one birth to next birth goes on like that with the law of karma. This soul knows no liberation, so long as this stock of un-disposed off actions or karmas performed in number of lives of that person is not completely exhausted.

Below are the verses from "Bhagwat Gita-Chapter Twelve- Verse - 6-7", in which God is asking his disciple Arjuna to do all his actions / activities for Him only.

'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 )

'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.'

Jai Shri Krishna

Sun Reflects the Same in All Water Pots

Just before the dawn, all around in the sky there is darkness but the end of night is just about to come. Then slowly Sun starts emerging & it dispels the darkness into light. Sun is also the source of energy to this world. Though Sun is 150 Million Kms from the earth but still it's rays & energy nurtures our earth just like a mother feeds her children. Sunlight is also the rich source of Vitamin-D which is essential for our body.

In Hinduism Sun is considered as a God. It is also called Surya (सूर्य, sūrya, lit "the Supreme Light"). He is worshiped in different names, chiefly as Surya Narayana, Bhaskara, Aditya, Ravi, Mitra, Bhanu etc. Many Hindus start their day with Sun worship. Even there is a temple dedicated to the Sun God at Puri in Orissa state of India. Sun God or Surya is considered as the only visible form of God that can be seen every day by us. Symbol of Sun or Surya is regarded as one of the auspicious signs for the Hindus & people place the sign of the Sun over main doors as they think it would bring them good luck.

Supreme God "Lord Krishna" Himself declares in Bhagwat-Gita that in one of it's forms He himself is there as "Sun God" which is sustaining this whole world.

"yada aditya-gatam tejo
jagad bhasayate ’khilam
yac chandramasi yac chagnau
tat tejo viddhi mamakam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fifteen verse 12)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, The splendor of the Sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me."

"adityanam aham vishnur
jyotisam ravir amsuman
maricir marutam asmi
nakshatranam aham sasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 21)

"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: Of the Adityas I am Vishnu, of Lights I am the Radiant Sun, of the Maruts I am Marici, and among the stars I am the moon."

Now here is, how the Sun is considered in philosophy to understand the Atman or Individual Soul. In reality the Sun, Sunshine and Sun's reflection are one but also the different. All-pervading sunshine is non-different from the sun. Both are heat and light, yet the Sun retains its form and identity as the source of everything.

Now just take the numerous "Pots filled with water" & put these below the bright noon Sun. Reflection of the Sun can be seen in all the pots & it appears that individual Sun is appearing in each pot. Not only that, water of each pot gets heated equally when Sun is reflected in the water pots. Now just as the Sun may be reflected in numerous pots of water, so the same one God is reflected in the hearts of all living beings as the Antaryami. Same Sun may shine in it's reflections on water kept in different pots but the different reflections are only apparent -'reflections' of the Sun, the real Sun is only one. Similarly there is one True Universal Self or God who is eternally pure, eternally perfect, unchangeable, unchanged; as it has never changed; and all these changes in the universe are but appearances in that one Universal Self.

This Sun appearing in different water pots analogy tells us many other things. Now just see that as long as the water exists in the pot, Sun's reflection is seen in the water pots but as long as pots are emptied of the water in it, Sun's reflection disappears. Similarly our body is like the earthen pot in which "Mind" is like the water in the pot & in this "Mind", Atman or Self's reflection gives life to this body. Now as long as the mind of a person exists in the body (pot), the image of the God or true Self (Sun) appears in this body & keeps itself alive. Now the very moment Body (pot) is emptied of "Mind", the death of a person happens & the true Soul which is the reflection of the "Universal Self" goes back to Him, just like the image of Sun in the 'Water Pot' goes back into the Sun when Pot is emptied of Water.

Jai Shri Krishna

God Lives in Your Heart

As per Bhagwat Gita: 

"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 come 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."

The Supreme Lord is situated as Paramatma in everyone's heart, and it is from Him that all activities are initiated. Lord is not only all-pervading; He is also localized in every individual being's heart.

It is said that God is present in all creation, He sits in every atom of the universe. He is seated within all the infinite space. All creation exists & lives within His Infinite body. He is seated in everyone's heart & also lives in mine & your hearts. This infinite God is only called "Brahmn".

"One who is there in Space,
One who is there in Sun,
One who is there in Fire,
One who is there in Earth,
One who is there in Moon,
One who is there in Water,
One who is there in Your Heart,
One who is there in My Heart,
He is One, He is "Brahmn", He is God."

Below are some verses from Bhagwat Gita which illustrates the same:

"aham atma gudakesha
sarva-bhutasaya-sthitah
aham adis cha madhyam cha
bhutanam anta eva cha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 20)

"Sri Krishna said: I am the Super Soul, O Arjuna, seated in the hearts of all living entities. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings."

"adityanam aham vishnur
jyotisam ravir amsuman
maricir marutam asmi
nakshatranam aham sasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 21)

"Sri Krishna said: Of the Adityas I am Vishnu, of lights I am the radiant sun, of the Maruts I am Marici, and among the stars I am the moon."

"sarganam adir antas cha
madhyam chaivaham arjuna
adhyatma-vidya vidyanam
vadah pravadatam aham" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 32)

"Sri Krishna said: Of all creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle, O Arjuna. Of all sciences I am the spiritual science of the self, and among logicians I am the conclusive truth."

"yac chapi sarva-bhutanam
bijam tad aham arjuna
na tad asti vina yat syan
maya bhutam characharam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 39)

"Sri Krishna said: Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being—moving or nonmoving—that can exist without Me."

Jai Shri Krishna

When Arjuna & Duryodhana both went to Lord Krishna for Help

Before the Mahabharata war, both "Arjuna" & "Duryodhana" (the two opponents in the war) went to "Lord Krishna" for His help in the war. At that time "Lord Krishna" was having a nap. "Duryodhana" came a little earlier than "Arjuna" & stood toward the head (pillow side) of "Lord Krishna". "Arjuna" came a little late & due to his devotion to "Lord Krishna" stood near His feet.

When Lord Krishna woke up He saw Arjuna first & then saw Duryodhana. He asked both, why they have come to Him at this moment. Both told Lord Krishna that as the battle is near they wanted Lord Krishna's help in this war. At this Lord Krishna agreed to give help to both & asked Arjuna first, how He can help him. At this Duryodhana said to Lord Krishna , "I have come before Arjuna to You so you should fulfil my desire first." At this Lord Krishna said to Duryodhana, "Though you have come before Arjuna, but I saw him first, so he should be given the first choice to ask." At this Duryodhana was perturbed that Arjuna shall ask all His armies from Him & he shall be left with nothing.

Lord Krishna told Arjuna that he has a choice, either he can take His whole army or he can choose Him alone. But when Arjuna asked Lord Krishna that he only wanted Him & nothing else, Duryodhana was perplexed & thought Arjuna to be a foolish person that he has asked for Lord Krishna alone than His big army. At this Lord Krishna told Arjuna that though he can choose Him alone but in the war He will not fight & He shall only be his charioteer. He told Arjuna that if he chooses Him alone then he shall be deprived of His whole big army. But Arjuna wanted Lord Krishna alone & not His army & accepted Lord Krishna as his charioteer.

At all this discussion, Duryodhana kept mum & thought, what Lord Krishna shall do without the army. Duryodhana actually wanted Lord Krishna's big army only & asked for that army when he got the chance. So Duryodhana got Lord Krishna's army.

Arjuna was a true devotee of Lord Krishna & knew that He was the God of the universe. He knew about all the powers of Lord Krishna & also knew that God in the form of Krishna shall save him & lead him to victory. He was having much faith in Lord Krishna than His army. Due to his faith in Lord Krishna only, ultimately he won the war while Duryodhana lost the war.

In Bhagwat Gita Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to always have faith in Him only as, whosoever, keeps faith in Lord Krishna, He always protects that devotee.

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

"Lord Sri Krishna said: O 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)

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

In the last verse of Bhagwat Gita, "Sanjaya" is also of the same opinion.

"yatra yogeshvarah krsno
yatra partho dhanur-dharah
tatra srir vijayo bhutir
dhruva nitir matir mama" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 78)

"Sanjaya said: Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion."

So let's have complete faith in "Lord Krishna" & let's be His devotee. By having devotion in Him we shall be saved always by Him in all circumstances. Jai Sri Krishna.

Jai Sri Krishna

When God Listened to the Prayer of a Poor Woman

“Once there was a very poor woman. She was having 4 sons & 2 daughters. Her husband was not keeping well & was bed ridden, so there was no source of income in the house. As the food & vegetable items in the kitchen started diminishing, she started worrying, how she shall arrange for these items for her family in the future. She thought of taking some lentils & vegetables on credit from the nearby shopkeeper.

She humbly approached the shopkeeper & explained the situation of her family to him. She had hoped that he will help her & give her food items but the shopkeeper refused to help her & asked her to go somewhere else for help. Seeing her plight a nearby standing man tried to help her & told the shopkeeper that he shall pay for whatever she wanted in food items.

The shopkeeper asked the woman reluctantly to put her buying list on the weighing scales and whatever her list weighs, he shall give her that much items. The woman on hearing this just bowed her head. Then she just closed her eyes & after some time took out a piece of paper and wrote something on it. She then put that piece of paper on the weighing scale carefully with her head bowed down. Just as woman put that piece of paper on the scales, it went down as if the paper has taken the place of weights on the scale.

Both the shopkeeper & the other man stood there in amazement when the scale went down and stayed down with the weight of paper. The shopkeeper looked at the scales in bewilderment & started putting the food items on the other side of the scale. The scales did not balance & he continued to put more and more food items on the other scale until the scales would balance. To the amazement of the shopkeeper, the scales would not balance at all.

Finally, he pounced to take that piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a food items list. It was instead a prayer which said: "Dear God, you know of my needs and I am leaving this in your hands to give me, as much as, You want."

The shopkeeper gave her the food items that he had put on the scales & did not charge the woman anything after seeing that miracle. Woman thanked the shopkeeper for his good gesture. Later on the shopkeeper discovered that, in fact the scales were broken with the weight of that mysterious piece of paper; therefore, only the Lord knows how much a prayer weighs.”

Through Prayer a person can address the Lord, his/her feelings & mind. Prayer is a way of having a personal experience and intimate connection with our loving Lord. He is willing to listen to you and responds with love and concern, all the time. The method of such calling our Lord is PRAYER. Those who have faith in Lord, generally Pray for Him. Prayer can be done during the worship or can be done just silently in our mind. If we pray to the Lord with sincerity then He shall answer to our prayers immediately.

Below are verses of Bhagwat Gita in which Lord Krishna is telling about His devotees & how He always protects them:

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

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

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Pritha—for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death."

"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."

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

"Sri Krishna said: 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."

So let's always engage in devotional service of the Lord. Let's sing His glories so that He can always be merciful on us. If we shall do such devotional service to the Lord then we shall get special mercy of the Lord & He shall bestow all the good things in our life.

Jai Sri Krishna

Different Religions & Different Faiths in God

People in this world follow different religions & have different faiths in regard to God. Different religions of the world depict God in different forms. In Hinduism God is depicted as Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma etc. while in some sects of Hinduism, God is depicted as formless God too. In Christianity God is depicted as Jesus Christ who is said to be the Son of God. Sikhism & Muslim sects mostly believe in a formless God. So different minded people of the world see God in different forms or formless God too.

God is basically formless as Soul or Super Soul is formless & cannot be seen with the eyes due to it's very subtle nature. As God is almighty, He is free to take any form. That's why there are so many different forms of God in Hinduism & God appears in different forms from time to time as per the Hindu mythology. As any Form is a representation of Maya as per the Hinduism, so even the different forms of God are representation of Maya only, while in fact God is formless. Formless only creates the Forms & not otherwise. Below is a story which exemplify this fact beautifully:

"In a rural village of India there was a little park where people used to come in their spare time. Villagers used to spend their idle time over there & used to sit and chat with each other. The path to this park lay alongside the forest. On the edge of the path there was a large, well-known Kadamba tree. One day a city-dweller came to the village, passed by the tree, and saw a peculiar lizard climbing on the trunk of that tree. When he reached the park he told the others sitting there, "I just saw a Green lizard on that old Kadamba tree!"

"Oh," said one man, "I know that lizard. I've seen it there several times -- but it's not Green-colored, it's Yellow."

"No, no, not Yellow," said another, "it is Cream coloured." Then others chimed in: "We have seen it -- it is lavender (gray, etc.). Each person had a different picture of the lizard.

They decided to go to the tree to find the animal and settle the argument. What they found was a Sadhu (Saint) from the forest, sitting in meditation under that Kadamba tree. The villagers questioned him about the animal. The saint answered, "I know all about that creature, who lives on this tree," he answered. "It is a Chameleon" (a creature who is able to change his body colour at will). "It is sometimes lavender, sometimes gray, sometimes green, yellow, cream, and sometimes it has really no color at all."

Saint further said, "God, too is like that Chameleon, taking on different qualities and appearances, and then again He has none."
In Hinduism many God's are worshipped but all these Gods are manifestation of one Supreme God only which is explained in Bhagwat Gita Chapter Ten in detail.

In Bhagwat Gita Chapter Ten, Lord Krishna is saying that he is the source of all beings & gods. Not even that as per Lord Krishna, all these universes & creations spring from but a spark of His splendor only. As per Him, He is seated in hearts of all living entities. He Himself is Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva & Lord Brahma. He Himself is Sun, Moon, Wind & Fire. He Himself is Rama God too. He Himself is Lord of wealth - Kubera. He Himself is Spiritual word Om. He Himself is river Ganges. Among women He Himself is manifested as Goddess of fortune (Lakshmi), Goddess of wisdom (Saraswati) & other Goddesses of fame, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and patience. As per Lord Krishna His opulence is limitless.

Hindus likewise believe in only one God. They glorify and praise His thousands of qualities. For example when God is love, He is symbolically represented by Lord Krishna, God as virtue is represented by lord Rama, God as power is represented by Lord Hanuman, God as wisdom is represented by Goddess Saraswati etc. etc. So these different aspects of Gods represent spirituality, purity, power etc. of the Ultimate One who is endless truth and bliss.

Below are some verses from Bhagwat Gita which explain about various manifestations of One Supreme God.

"aham atma gudakesha
sarva-bhutasaya-sthitah
aham adis cha madhyam cha
bhutanam anta eva cha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 20)

"Sri Krishna said: I am the Super Soul, O Arjuna, seated in the hearts of all living entities. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings."

"adityanam aham vishnur
jyotisam ravir amsuman
maricir marutam asmi
nakshatranam aham sasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 21)

"Sri Krishna said: Of the Adityas I am Vishnu, of lights I am the radiant Sun, of the Maruts I am Marici, and among the stars I am the Moon."

"rudranam sankaras chasmi
vitteso yaksha-rakshasam
vasunam pavakas chasmi
meruh sikharinam aham" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 23)

"Sri Krishna said: Of all the Rudras I am Lord Shiva, of the Yakshas and Rakshasas I am the Lord of wealth [Kubera], of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of mountains I am Meru."

"pavanah pavatam asmi
ramah shastra-bhrtam aham
jhasanam makaras chasmi
srotasam asmi jahnavi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 31)

"Sri Krishna said: Of purifiers I am the Wind, of the wielders of weapons I am Rama, of fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges."

"aksharanam a-karo ’smi
dvandvah samasikasya cha
aham evakshayah kalo
dhataham vishvato-mukhah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 33)

"Sri Krishna said: Of letters I am the letter A, and among compound words I am the dual compound. I am also inexhaustible time, and of creators I am Brahma."

"mrityuh sarva-haras chaham
udbhavas cha bhavisyatam
kirtih srir vak cha narinam
smritir medha dhrtih ksama" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 34)

"Sri Krishna said: I am all-devouring death, and I am the generating principle of all that is yet to be. Among women I am fame, fortune, fine speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and patience."

"yac chapi sarva-bhutanam
bijam tad aham arjuna
na tad asti vina yat syan
maya bhutam characharam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 39)

"Sri Krishna said: Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being—moving or nonmoving—that can exist without Me."
"yad yad vibhutimat sattvam
srimad urjitam eva va
tat tad evavagaccha tvam
mama tejo-’msa-sambhavam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 41)

"Sri Krishna said: Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor."

"atha va bahunaitena
kim jnatena tavarjuna
vistabhyaham idam krtsnam
ekamsena sthito jagat" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 42)

"Sri Krishna said: But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe."

Jai Shri Krishna

Prayers & Seeds are Similar in Nature

Prayers & Seeds are similar in nature. Both have nothing within but both have the power & potential of creating everything.

Prayer is an act of addressing the God for the purpose of worship or petition. Prayer is a way of having a personal experience and intimate connection with our loving God.

You should treat God just like your friend who knows everything about you. You can then count on your friend (God) all the time. Anytime you need Him, you can call and He won’t be upset with you. He is willing to listen to you and responds with love and concern all the time. The method of such calling your friend (God) is PRAYER. Rest assured that God is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all through the year.

In Bhagwat Gita also Lord says that "Praying the God is the best form of rememberance of God".

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

"Lord Sri Krishna said: O 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."

Below are some beautiful quotes about the Prayer:

God looks not at the oratory of your prayers, how elegant they may be; nor at the geometry of your prayers, how long they may be; nor at the arithmetic of your prayers, how many they may; not at logic of your prayers, how methodical they may be; but the sincerity of them He looks at. -T. Brooks

Practice in life whatever you pray for, and God will give it to you more abundantly. -Pusey

We don't thank God enough for much that He has given us. Our prayers are too often the beggar's prayer, the prayer that asks for something. We offer too few prayers of thanksgiving and of praise. -Robert E. Woods, D.D.

If you would have God hear you when you pray, you must hear Him when He speaks. He stops His ears against the prayers of those who stop their ears against His laws. -unknown

In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart. -Bunyan

Never think that God's delays are God's denials. True prayer always receives what it asks, or something better. -Tryon Edwards

So if you daily do regular prayers to God then your anger shall always remain in your control. But if you get angry then you should do some prayer to God as by doing so you shall be able to manage your anger. So let's daily do the worship of God. By chanting the "Divine Mantras" we shall get peace of mind. Let's make it a practice to invoke the God daily through the prayer. By doing so God shall be happy with us & shall bless us always through His mercy & compassion.

Jai Shri Krishna

Splendor, Brilliance, Radiance, Tej of God

Tej is a Sanskrit word which means Splendor or Brilliance or Radiance, God is having all these qualities & in Bhagwat Gita Lord Krishna describes it in detail.

God is all powerful. He is almighty. He is the Lord of the Universe. Supreme God "Lord Krishna" Himself declares in Bhagwat-Gita that He himself is there as Splendor or Brilliance or Radiance of Sun, Moon & Fire. Not onlt that, as per Lord Krishna, all these opulent, beautiful and glorious creations just spring from but a spark of His splendor. So it is to be seen that God is present in all creation as His spark of brilliance is present in all the creation.

"yada aditya-gatam tejo
jagad bhasayate ’khilam
yac chandramasi yac chagnau
tat tejo viddhi mamakam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fifteen verse 12)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, The splendor of the Sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me."

"adityanam aham vishnur
jyotisam ravir amsuman
maricir marutam asmi
nakshatranam aham sasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 21)

"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: Of the Adityas I am Vishnu, of Lights I am the Radiant Sun, of the Maruts I am Marici, and among the stars I am the moon."

"yad yad vibhutimat sattvam
srimad urjitam eva va
tat tad evavagaccha tvam
mama tejo-’msa-sambhavam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 41)

"Sri Krishna said: Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor."

So let's see one God in all different forms. There is only one God & He is called by different names by his lovers, devotees in affection. Sri Ram, Sri Krishn, Gobind, Waheguru, Allah, Jesus are all the same. So let's all have wisdom to respect each others faith & let's all realize that One God in all the different forms. His Spark resides in all of us.

Jai Shri Krishna

Radha Ashtami – Birth anniversary of Goddess Radha

Radha Ashtami is commemorated as birth anniversary of Goddess Radha. It falls on Ashtami Tithi during Shukla Paksha of Bhadrapada month. Devotees keep fast on Radha Asthami day. Goddess Radha is worshipped during Madhyana Kaal which is noon time according to Hindu division of the day. Currently Radha Ashtami falls in the month of August or September in English calendar. Radha Ashtami is also known as Radhashtami and Radha Jayanti. In this Year – 2014 it is falling on 2nd September. Ashtami Tithi Begins on 05:02 Hrs. on 2/Sep/2014 & Ashtami Tithi Ends on 04:08 Hrs. on 3/Sep/2014.

Here we shall know about Sri Radha Ji & her divine. immortal Love with Lord Sri Krishna. Sri Radharani was a Gopi who was most near to Lord Krishna’s heart. Sri Radha's devotion and dedication towards Lord Sri Krishna was complete, that is the reason that she was most dear to Lord Sri Krishna. Goddess Shri Radha Rani took birth at a place called Barsana in Uttar Pradesh state in India. Goddess Sri Radha was the daughter of Vrishbhanu & her mother was Kirti.

Goddess Sri Radha was not married to Lord Sri Krishna but still she was most dear to Him even more than His wives. It was because, Sri Radha was always full of devotion towards the Lord & never thought of anyone else besides Lord Sri Krishna. In pictures Sri Radha is almost always depicted alongside Sri Krishna.

Sri Radha Rani is considered as the greatest devotee of Lord Sri Krishna. It is said that Sri Radha, herself is the "Devotional energy" of Lord Sri Krishna who is the Lord of the universe. Her name always comes before the name of Lord Sri Krishna that is why God's one name is "Radha Krishna" also. Just take out only one "R" from "Radha Krishna" & it becomes just "aadha Krishna" i.e. "half Krishna" & that is the power of the name "Radha". As Sri Radha Rani is always in the thought of Lord Sri 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.

जय राधा रानी!
राधे-राधे
जय राधा कृष्णा.

Jai Shri Krishna

Supreme Abode of God that is Indestructible

In Hindu Philosophy it is said that a Soul needs to take rebirth again & again till it attains to God & attains to the Divine abode of God. As per Hindu Philosophy there are two type of Worlds in this Universe. Material Worlds & Spiritual Worlds. Material World is our world in which we live. Spiritual Worlds are abodes of God Himself & there is no need for any external body like Sun to illumine it. These are illumined by the power & Grace of God Himself, that is the reason that these Planets / abodes of God are Self Illumined in nature. These planets are full of beauty & there is no disease etc. on those abodes. A person's soul always remains in Blissful & Happy state over there. These Spiritual Worlds are beyond the Material Worlds. Below verse of Bhagwat Gita explains that these abodes are Self Illumined in nature.

Spiritual nature & spiritual worlds are indestructible, eternal, inexhaustible and unlimited. It is the Supreme abode of God, consisting of three fourths of the Lord's opulence & it is known as paravyoma, the spiritual sky. Although God is present in His Spiritual abode in higher spiritual worlds, He is yet all-pervading, and everything is situated within Him.

Below are few verses of Bhagwat Gita which describe about the material & spiritual spaces & worlds :

"a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah
punar avartino ’rjuna
mam upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eight verse 16)

"Sri Krishna said: From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My Supreme Supreme abode, O Arjuna, never takes birth again.

"paras tasmat tu bhavo ’nyo
’vyakto ’vyaktat sanatanah
yah sa sarveshu bhutesu
nasyatsu na vinasyati" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eight verse 20)

"Sri Krishna said: Yet there is another unmanifest Spiritual nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested material nature. This Spiritual nature is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this material world is annihilated, those Spiritual worlds remains as it is."

"avyakto ’kshara ity uktas
tam ahuh paramam gatim
yam prapya na nivartante
tad dhama paramam mama" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eight verse 21)

"Sri Krishna said: That which the Vedantists describe as Spiritual unmanifest and infallible, that which is known as the supreme destination, that place from which, having attained it, one never returns—that is My supreme abode in the Spiritual world."

"purushah sa parah partha
bhaktya labhyas tv ananyaya
yasyantah-sthani bhutani
yena sarvam idam tatam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eight verse 22)

"Sri Krishna said: The Lord / God, who is greater than all, is attainable by unalloyed devotion. Although He is present in His Spiritual abode, He is all-pervading, and everything is situated within Him."

So let's always pray to The Lord Krishna, who is greater than all, with full devotion. By doing so we can attain to His Spiritual abode where there is no misery of any type & which is full of bliss.

Jai Shri Krishna

All Pervasive Brahm (God)

God is omnipresent (present everywhere) in it's un-manifest aspect & is always present all around us. This omnipresent God consists of knowledge & knows everything about this whole world & also knows about all the people of this world. Every inch of the space is occupied by Him. Every nook & corner is filled by Him. He is therefore called Brahm (God) who is Truth Absolute, Knowledge Absolute and is Infinite.

To fulfill the desire of a devotee, this un-manifest, all pervasive Brahm (God) by the power of His Yogmaya, manifests Himself as an embodied Being and appears before the devotee. In fact there is no difference between the Manifest and Un-manifest aspects of God. It is the Un-manifest that becomes manifest only.

Brahm (God) manifests Himself in the same form in which a devotee likes to see Him. In Bhagwat Gita, Arjuna wanted to see God's Universal form in the first instance, then His celestial form endowed with four arms, and last of all His human form with two arms only. Divine Lord Krishna, in order to fulfill the desire of Arjuna, appeared before him in all these forms successively within a short time.

So the God appears before a devotee in whatever form he worship Him, whether it is the form of Rama, Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, Ganesha or any other form. A devotee should always remember that the God whom he worships, always pervades through this whole universe & can manifest Himself in any form, anytime He wants to appear before his devotee. God is never invisible to such souls who have understood His true nature, nor does He ever lose sight of them.

God is called Brahmn,

Whole world dwells in Brahmn,

Whole world comes from Brahmn,

Whole world goes back in Brahmn,

Whole world breathes in Brahmn,

Let's worship that Brahmn, the God.

"maya tatam idam sarvam
jagad avyakta-murtina
mat-sthani sarva-bhutani
na chaham tesv avasthitah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 4)

"Sri Krishna said: By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them."

"athakasa-sthito nityam
vayuh sarvatra-go mahan
tatha sarvani bhutani
mat-sthanity upadharaya" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 6)

"Sri Krishna said: Understand that as the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, rests always in the sky, all created beings rest in Me."

"prakritim svam avastabhya
visrijami punah punah
bhuta-gramam imam krtsnam
avasam prakriter vasat" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 8)

"Sri Krishna said: The whole cosmic order is under Me. Under My will it is automatically manifested again and again, and under My will it is annihilated at the end."

Jai Sri Krishna

Lord Krishna Bhakti is Like Boon Giving Tree Kalpvriksha

"Kalpvriksha" is a mythological Wish-Fulfilling or Boon-Giving tree. It is a tree that has mythological significance in India and elsewhere. As per mythology, if you ask anything from this tree, it fulfills that wish of a person. Considered as sacred among Hindus, the tree is believed to have been one of the nine jewels, which were churned out of the sea (Samudra Manthan) by the demons and gods.

As per the saints, Lord Krishna Bhakti too is Like the "Kalpvriksha" for his devotees. From the God, whatever, is asked for, God provides that to his devotee. God is so kind that he provides everything to his devotee even without being asked for. Surely, He does not give anything which shall be harmful to his devotee or anybody else. If you have firm faith in God & your wish is pure then God shall certainly fulfill that wish. Just like an unmarried woman, who when gets married to a man, automatically enjoys all the affluence of her husband; similarly when a devotee by his/her devotion gets to the God, then that devotee automatically gets all the affluence of God & of this world. This whole world is created by God only, so when one is able to get to the God, then that person too gets all the affluence of this world. As per "Srimad-Bhagwat", in the past, God became very happy with the devotion of child "Dhruva" & gave him all the boons & the kingdom of the world.

The essence is that, whatever you want, material or spiritual, you can get it from God by becoming His devotee. God Himself declares in "Bhagwat Gita":

"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."

"mam cha yo ’vyabhicharena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 26)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, One who engages in full devotional service to Him, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman & attains God."

"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 said: O 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 said: O Arjuna, Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear."

So as the God promises that He shall always protect His devotee & fulfill all his/her rightful desires, so let's always be with God & keep Him in our thoughts. Remember, Lord Krishna Bhakti is Like Boon Giving Tree Kalpvriksha.

Jai Sri Krishna

Practice Good Things In Your Life

We read so many good books in our life. We read Bhagwat Gita also & many other spiritual books. We hear so many good discourses, we go to Satsang & hear so many good things but somehow still no change comes in our life. We generally complain that doing good things is not getting them any good. So what is the reason that after doing so many good things, reading so many good books, no great change is happening in your life. Here below is a Story which shall let you understand the reason behind this.

“Once a “Doll Maker” came to the court of a King & showed 3 exactly same Dolls to the King. “Doll Maker” asked all the people in the court & the King to tell & segregate all the three dolls as No. 1 doll, No. 2 doll & No. 3 doll. As all the dolls looked exactly similar, no person could tell the difference & could distinguish these Dolls. After some time a wise man came to the court & saw the Dolls. Though all the Dolls looked same but after little bit of more examining these dolls, he asked the people in the court to bring a wire.

When the wire came, the wise man put the wire in the left ear of the 1st Doll. That wire came out of the second ear of the Doll. So wise man labelled that Doll as No. 1 Doll.
Now the wise man put the wire in the left ear of the other Doll. That wire came out of the mouth of that Doll. So the wise man labelled that Doll as No. 2 Doll.
Then the wise man put the wire in the left ear of the last Doll. That wire went in the belly of the Doll & dropped inside. So the wise man labelled that Doll as No. 3 Doll. So though the Dolls were appearing the exactly same from outside but from inside they were quite different.”

Same is the case with we people. We hear so many good discourses, we go to Satsang & hear so many good things but all those good things enter our one ear & leave out from the other ear. We do not practice those things, we do not imbibe those good things in our life. We are like the first two dolls but we should be like the third doll & whatever good things we hear or read should go inside ourself & we should make that a part of our life.

As per on saying, “Believe what you read; teach what you believe; practice what you teach”. So we should practice in life what we believe in & what we preach.

So we should have full faith in God Also we should devote all our Karmas to God. By devoting all our Karmas to God our mind gets purified of all the impurities & our mind receives the Godly light, Godly grace and Godly knowledge. If we do Service of humanity then also it is the service of God as God sits in the heart of all human beings. Let’s work without attachment and egoism & offer all the good works of ours to God.

By practicing Karma Yoga our heart reaches out to other people & through it we see God in all people’s hearts. By such devotional practice, divine virtues such as love, mercy, tolerance, kindness, patience, self-restraint, etc. are developed in us. Karma Yoga destroys jealousy, hatred, malice and the idea of superiority in us.

Below are verses from "Bhagwat Gita", in which God is asking his disciple Arjuna to do all his actions / activities for Him only. The below verses are firstly, written in, as it is written in original Sanskrit in Bhagwat Gita & below that is English translation of that verse.

' 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)

'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.'

Jai Sri Krishna

Radha's Devotion to Lord Krishna

Sri Radharani is the Devotional energy of Lord Krishna. Sri Radha Rani is the greatest devotee of Lord Krishna. If any person wants to have devotion in Lord Krishna then that person should first be devoted to Sri Radharani Ji.

Sri Radha Ji & her divine immortal Love with Lord Sri Krishna is well recorded in Srimadbhagvatam & other Puranas. She had incarnated on earth during the time of Lord Krishna. Sri Radharani was a Gopi who was most near to Lord Krishna’s heart. Sri Radha's devotion and dedication towards Lord Sri Krishna was complete, that is the reason that she was most dear to Lord Sri Krishna. Goddess Shri Radha Rani took birth at a place called Barsana in Uttar Pradesh state in India. Goddess Sri Radha was the daughter of Vrishbhanu & her mother was Kirti.

Goddess Sri Radha was not married to Lord Sri Krishna but still she was most dear to Him even more than His wives. It was because, Sri Radha was always full of devotion towards the Lord & never thought of anyone else besides Lord Sri Krishna. In pictures Sri Radha is almost always depicted alongside Sri Krishna.

Sri Radha Rani is considered as the greatest devotee of Lord Sri Krishna. It is said that Sri Radha, herself is the "Devotional energy" of Lord Sri Krishna who is the Lord of the universe. Her name always comes before the name of Lord Sri Krishna that is why God's one name is "Radha Krishna" also. Just take out only one "R" from "Radha Krishna" & it becomes just "aadha Krishna" i.e. "half Krishna" & that is the power of the name "Radha". As Sri Radha Rani is always in the thought of Lord Sri 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.

Jai Shri Krishna

Karmanye Vaadhika-raste, Maa Phaleshu Kadachana - Meaning

"karmany evadhikaras te
ma phalesu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)

"कर्मणये वाधिकारस्ते मां फलेषु कदाचन । मां कर्मफलहेतुर्भू: मांते संङगोस्त्वकर्मणि" ।।
(Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)

"श्री कृष्ण भगवान ने अर्जुन से कहा: आप को अपने निर्धारित कर्तव्य का पालन करने का अधिकार है, लेकिन आप कभी कर्म फल की इच्छा से कर्म मत करो (कर्म फल देने का अधिकार सिर्फ ईश्वर को है)। कर्म फल की अपेक्षा से आप कभी कर्म मत करें, न ही आप की कभी कर्म न करने में प्रवृर्ति हो (आप की हमेशा कर्म करने में प्रवृर्ति हो) ।।" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)

"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty." (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)

Here below is detailed meaning of this verse:

1) karmany evadhikaras te: कर्मणये वाधिकारस्ते: you have a right to work only
2) ma phalesu kadachana: मां फलेषु कदाचन: but have no right to the fruits thereof
3) ma karma-phala-hetur bhur: मां कर्मफलहेतुर्भू: let not the fruits be the motive of doing karmas
4) ma te sango ’stv akarmani: मांते संङगोस्त्वकर्मणि: let yourself not be attached to inaction.

Below are some quotes from famous personalities across the world on the Bhagavat Gita:

"When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day." Mahatma Gandhi

"When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous." Albert Einstein

"The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization." Sri Aurobindo

"From a clear knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita all the goals of human existence become fulfilled. Bhagavad-Gita is the manifest quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures." Adi Shankara

Jai Shri Krishna

Krishna Bhakti Is The Best Purifier

"Krishna Bhakti" simply means "Devotion to Lord Krishna". One who does such Bhakti or Devotion to the Lord is called a devotee. Lord Krishna is dear to his devotees & they too are dear to Lord Krishna. In such a devotion to Lord, devotees have a burning desire to meet Lord Krishna. Gopis of Vrindavan, including Sri Radharani were such devotees who fell in Love with Lord Krishna.

Sri Radharani was a Gopi who was most near to Lord Krishna’s heart. Sri Radha's devotion and dedication towards Lord Sri Krishna was complete that is the reason that she was most dear to Lord Krishna. Sri Radha was not married to Lord Krishna but still she was most dear to Him even more than His wives. It was because Sri Radha was always full of devotion towards the Lord & never thought of anyone besides Lord Krishna. In pictures Sri Radha is almost always depicted alongside Lord Krishna.

Similarly we too should have devotion or Bhakti towards Lord Krishna.

As per the Bhagwat Gita, devotion is the easiest method to know the truth about self knowledge / soul knowledge & get close to the God. God himself declares about the glory of devotion in Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65 & 66 which are here given below.

Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65:

"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."

Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 66:

"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."

In the above verses of Bhagwat Gita, Lord Krishna is assuring Arjuna that He shall always be with him in all circumstances if he is always in devotion to Him. Same thing applies to every human being also. If a person remains devoted to Lord Krishna then Lord promises that He shall deliver that person of all the sins of the past & purify that person. By doing such loving service to the Lord, certainly that person shall be in the eyes of Lord & Lord shall always protect that person.

So let's be devoted to Lord Krishna always. Let's sing His Glories, read literature regarding Him & also do loving service to humanity (charity etc.) in His name. So lets have devotion to Lord Krishna. Remaining in Krishna consciousness is good for everyone. Krishna is one of the names of God and it means all-attractive. So Praise to such a Lord.

Jai Shri Krishna