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

Action or Meditation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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