Love Krishna, Adore Krishna

In "Bhagwat Gita" Lord Krishna is saying to Arjuna:

Be aware of me always,
adore me, make every
act an offering to me,
and you shall come to me;
this I (Krishna) promise,
for you are dear to me.

(Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65)

Abandon all supports and
look to me for protection.
I shall purify you from the
sins of the past; do not grieve.

(Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 66)

Lord Krishna is assuring Arjuna in Bhagwat Gita 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 God always & God 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. Jai Sri Krishna.

Attain Krishna

Irrespective of all religions, people do have faith in God. Some call Him by the name of Rama, Krishna while others call Him Allah, God, Jesus etc. Faith in God make people have confidence in a supernatural power whom they call their protector. He is the divine force who manages this whole world on a macro scale. In Hindu philosophy it is the ultimate goal of a person to attain God. For that ascetics do penances & devotees perform rituals in the name of God so that they can come closer to God & finally attain Him.

To attain God the easiest way is to have love & devotion to Lord Krishna. Meaning of the name of Krishna is the one who attracts a soul easily & puts him/her in His devotion. Krishna is all attractive, that's why He attracts the soul of a person. Below is the translation of Mira Bai's devotional song 'Payoji Maine Shyaam Rattan Dhan Paayo...' which shows her love & devotion for Krishna.

Mira Bai says,

"Krishna, the precious
I have attained,
Now I am free of the
birth & death cycle,
Worldly pursuits,
do not exist for me
O, Krishna, the precious
I have attained,

No expenses have I
Nor fear of looting
With Krishna's Name
on my lips
Krishna, the precious
I have attained.

By following the
boat of truth,
Krishna has
accepted me
In infinite Grace
Krishna, the precious
I have attained.

Giridhar Nagar,
Beloved of Mira Bai
Let's all sing His Glory
Krishna, the precious
I have attained.

Trust in God

Trusting in God will not make the mountain smaller, but will make climbing easier.

Do not ask Him for a lighter load, ask for stronger back.

Moon Of My Heart

This article is dedicated to Lord of Supreme Love, Sri Krishna.

"Sweet Heart" is a word used for someone who is really very sweet & close to your heart. Any person who is so dear & so close to your heart is called "Sweet Heart". In poetry many times a lover is compared to the Moon. Of course, in the full dark night, Moon looks so beautiful & pleasing to the eyes that it has been compared to one's Sweet Heart, one's lover.

Though God is almighty, all powerful & everyone prays to Him but there is a cult of devotion in which a person falls in Love with the God & there is a burning desire in that person's mind to meet the God. Gopis of Vrindavan, including Radha were of that cult only who fell in Love with the God, Lord Krishna. Meerabai in recent times also considered Lord Krishna like that only. Here below described is the state of mind of a person (Gopi) who has fallen in love with God. This is the state of the highest devotion to God in which a person always yearns to meet the God.

Gopis & Radha's love for Lord Krishna is so strong that in His absence their mind always yearns for Him. In such pangs of separation one Gopi is thinking in her mind about Krishna & saying:

"O Lord, You are my life. I am sweet to You & so is my Lord sweet to me. O Krishna, You are the only one close to my heart. Whom else I need to seek for besides you. Whenever you come into my heart my heart rejoices. You are the Moon of the inner space of my heart. You are always on my mind.

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

O Lord, dust of your feet is so pure that if I put it in my eyes, then my vision becomes divine & I can see anything. I want only that your image remains always in my eyes as I do not want to see anyone else besides You.

O Lord, when shall you come to meet me? Hey Krishna, My heart is parching like a desert which is waiting for the drops of rain to come onto it. On the inner space of my heart You never came & burst like a cloud. So many years have gone by but you never came to fulfill my desire to meet you.

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

O Lord, I am yours & You are mine, then how come You are not coming to meet me!!! Pl. do come, pl. do come."

Basically God is our own Soul only & lives within our own heart. So when a person turns towards God, then he/she is actually turning towards his own self only. More & more one turns inward & becomes spiritual, he/she actually yearns for God more & more. He/She actually becomes like that "Gopi" only who always yearns to meet the God.

Previous Births of Lord Krishna

This article is about "Ten Avatars of Lord Vishnu" or "Previous Births of Lord Krishna".

In Hindu mythology God is depicted as Trinity, i.e. Brahma - The Creator, Vishnu - The Preservator & Mahesh or Shiva - The Destroyer. God in the form of Brahma does creation at the start of this world, God in the form of Vishnu does preservation or maintenance of this world, while Shiva finally annihilates this whole world at the end. So in this aspect while Lord Vishnu is responsible for the preservation or maintenance of this world, so He comes on this earth from His celestial abode (Vaikuntha) from time to time for the establishment of Dharma (righteousness). In such a role He puts law & order in it's place on earth & kills the evil elements in the society. So such a coming on this earth of Lord Vishnu is called descending of an Avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Avatar or Avatara (अवतार, Avatāra), is incarnation of God on earth. It literally means descent (avatarati) and usually implies a deliberate descent from higher spiritual realms to lower realms of existence for special purposes. Lord Sri Krishna was one of those Avatars of Lord Vishnu. In the past there had been so many Avatars of Lord Vishnu. In Lord Sri Krishna's case you can call these as His previous births but with a special purpose to establish Dharma (righteousness) on this earth. Below are verses from Bhagwat Gita which explain that only:

"yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four verse 7)

"paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya cha duskritam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four verse 8)

"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: Whenever Dharma, or the situation of law and order, is endangered on this world, I incarnate onto this world to re establish Dharma, law and order, and to protect the Sadhus or saints and to destroy the evil elements of the society. I do so appear, millennium after millennium."

So here below are 10 Avatars of Lord Vishnu in which He had descended on earth (In Kalki Avatar's case shall descend) in different forms to establish Dharma (righteousness) & Lord Sri Krishna was one of these Avatars.

1) Matsya Avatar (Fish): Lord Vishnu appeared in this form during "Satya Yuga". In this Avatar He had taken the form of a fish during a deluge that submerged the earth. Lord Vishnu commanded a 'Rishi' to gather together all samples of species and wait in a boat. The gigantic golden fish then dragged the boat through the deluge and then enabled Bhrama to start the act of creation all over again. Yet another legend has it that a demon once stole the four Vedas (Hindu religious texts) and hid them under the sea. Lord Vishnu assumed the Matsya (Fish) form and retrieved them and then restored them to their original shape. This legend is held at the Parimalaranganathar temple at Mayiladuturai, near Thanjavur in Tamilnadu state of India.

2) Kurma Avatar (Tortoise): Lord Vishnu appeared in this form during "Satya Yuga" only. In KURMA Avatar, Lord Vishnu incarnated himself as a tortoise & helped in churning of the ocean of milk after adding medicines into the ocean (Samudra Manthan) to get the nectar for the gods (Devtas).

3) Varaha Avatar (Boar): Lord Vishnu appeared in this form during "Satya Yuga" only. Vishnu took the form of a huge wild boar - the Varaaha Avatara, dived into the ocean, and saved Bhoomi Devi (Earth) who had sunk into the bottom of the ocean. Vishnu as Varahamurthy is enshrined at Tiruvidandai near Chennai in Tamilnadu state of India, and also at the Kanchipuram Kamakshiamman temple.

4) Narasimha Avatar ( Half lion half human): Lord Vishnu appeared in this form during "Satya Yuga" only. In this Avatar, Vishnu destroyed the demon king Hiranyakashipu and demonstrated his omnipresence in a powerful way.

5) Vamana Avatar (the dwarf or midget): Lord Vishnu appeared in this form during "Treta Yuga". In this form Vishnu took the form of Vamana the midget to destroy the demon Bali. He visited Bali during a sacrifice where the latter was arrogantly distributing gifts of the seeker's choice, to show his power of wealth. Vamana meekly asked for three feet of land measured by his small feet to which Bali agreed. All on a sudden Vamana the midget assumed the massive form of Trivikrama, dominating the whole of the universe. With his first foot He covered the earth, with the second the heavens. When there was no room for the third, Bali, who never went back on his word offered his head, and Vishnu sent him to the netherworld. Trivikrama is enshrined at Tirukkovilur, kanchipuram and Sirkazhi in Tamilnadu state of India.

6) Parasurama Avatar (Rama with the axe): Lord Vishnu appeared in this form during "Treta Yuga" only. In this form Vishnu quelled the arrogance of the Kshatriya (warriors) rulers who harmed the sages and unprotected mortals.

7) Rama Avatar (king of Ayodhya): Lord Vishnu appeared in this form during "Treta Yuga" only. In this form Vishnu appeared as Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya who killed demon king Ravana. The great epic Ramayana speaks of the glory of the Rama Avatar of Lord Vishnu.

8) Krishna Avatar (meaning "dark coloured" or "all attractive"): Lord Vishnu appeared in this form during "Dwapara Yuga along with his brother Balarama" Mahabharata speaks of Balarama and Krishna in detail.

9) Balarama Avatar: Some of the texts call Balarama only as the ninth Avatar of Lord Vishnu, while many others call "Gautama Buddha" as the ninth Avatar of Lord Vishnu. Such believers say that Lord Vishnu took up the Avatar of Buddha to purify Hinduism of excessive ritualism. He preached detachment, and the middle path consisting of eight fold virtues of right views, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right meditation.

10) Kalki Avatar ("Eternity", or "time", or "The Destroyer of foulness"): Lord Vishnu is expected to appear in future in Kalki Avatar at the end of Kali Yuga, the time period in which we currently exist. It is believed that at the end of the current Kali Yuga, there will be a deluge when Kalki - the tenth and the last Avatar of Vishnu, will ride forth on a horse to redeem humankind and re-establish righteousness.

Mirja Ghalib & God

Mirja Ghalib was a great Urdu & Persian Poet of India. He wrote many Ghazals in Urdu during his life time. Though he was a great poet but he seems like a great philosopher too in his lifetime. At times, in his pensive mood he had written few verses which explain that he was deeply in touch with God. Not only that he felt God around him but also that he touched the greatest philosophical essence, in which a person sees God all around him. To him this whole creation seems to be woven within the all pervasive Universal Soul. Just take few lines written here below by him which explain that only.

" जब की तुज बिन नहीं कोई मोजूद,
तो फिर ये हंगामा ऐ ख़ुदा कया है"

"Jab Ki Tujh Bin Nahin Koi Mojud,
To Phir Ye Hungama Aey Khuda Kya Hai"

The meaning of above lines is that: O God, If there is nobody else present in this world except You, then what is this visibly seen creation / world that I see all around me.

In fact Ghalib had true belief that God is the only reality in this world & in this whole creation it is the God only who is present everywhere & all else does not exist. So as per Ghalib, this whole creation itself is God only, so are all the creatures of the world including all human beings, who too are God only. Nothing exists except God in this world. We all are not separate entities but are one only, as part & parcel of that Universal Soul. In fact we get so many verses in Bhagwat Gita also which say the same thing.

"mattah parataram nanyat
kincid asti dhananjaya
mayi sarvam idam protam
sutre mani-gana iva" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Seven verse 7)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, there is nothing else besides Me, Like clusters of Yarn-beeds formed by knots on a thread, all this world is threaded on Me."

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

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Just as the extensive and all-pervading Air always remains in Space, likewise know that all creation & beings reside in Me."

So Mirja Ghalib had attained the heights of mysticism in his life time as he was able to feel God all around him & was able to feel His existence in every moment of his life. We too should feel the God all around ourselves as then only we shall be able to see every human being & every creature of this existence as part & parcel of God & ourself too.

Letters From Prison Inmates in USA About Bhagwat Gita

Bhagwat Gita is having the universal appeal. It is above all religions as it teaches the philosophy of truth. Though Bhagwat Gita was taught by "Lord Sri Krishna" to His disciple "Arjuna" more than 5000 years ago but it's teachings are still relevant in our day to day life. It appeals to every human being on earth irrespective of the country, caste, creed or religion.

Recently I came across one article about Bhagwat Gita in which there were views of Prison Inmates in USA about Bhagwat Gita. These are basically the views expressed by Prison Inmates through the letters written by them from the Prisons in USA. It is interesting to read these letters in this article. Click on the link here to read that article............Letters From Prison Inmates About Bhagavad Gita As It Is

God - Take Me In Your Refuge

Once a new born cub of a Lion was moving in the forest when he heard the howling sounds of other animals in the forest. On hearing these sounds, the little cub was frightened & rushed back to the Lion & Lioness. In the refuge of Lion & Lioness he felt comfortable as they were to protect him from any attack from other animals & both his parents were his protector in any eventuality. Similarly, when we are living in this world, whom we should consider our protector; who can take care of us & protect us from any eventuality in our life.

God is an invisible force who is present all around us. He looks after & takes care of the whole of this world. He is the witness of all our good & bad actions. As per Bhagwad-Gita, as the wind is pervasive all around us in the space; so is God or Universal Soul is present all around us. Now if we believe in Him & invoke Him by prayers then He shall certainly come to our rescue, as He always comes to the rescue of His devotees. So just like the lion cub, if we take shelter in the Almighty, then He shall certainly protect us in all circumstances.

God Himself declares in Bhagwad-Gita that, whosoever, comes in His refuge, He protects him fully.

"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, Leaving all religions, just come unto Me /surrender unto Me alone. By surrendering unto Me, I shall absolve you of all sins & always protect you, grieve not."

"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 be 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 devotee."

Below is a beautiful Video with the underlying Bhazan "Mujhe Apni Sharan Mein Le Lo Mere Shyam" ie. "God - Take Me In Your Refuge". In this devotional video the singer "Sh. Vinod Aggawal Ji" is just invoking the Lord Sri Krishna to take him in His refuge. It is basically a more than one hour long Bhazan, sung by "Sh. Vinod Aggawal Ji" but here due to "You Tube" time limitation for a video, I have made a video of 10 minutes out of that Bhazan. Hope you would like it.

"Mein To Apne Mohan Ki Pyari" by Vinod Aggarwal Ji - Music Video

"Mein To Apne Mohan Ki Pyari, Sajan Mero Girdhari" is a a beautiful bhazan sung in the praise of Hindu God Lord Krishna. In this devotional video the singer "Sh. Vinod Aggawal Ji" is showing his divine love to Lord Krishna.

Indian Yoga and Meditation

This Article is contributed by Sh. M.P. Bhattathiri, Retired Chief Technical Examiner, to The Govt. of Kerala.

In the storm of life we struggle through myriads of stimuli of pressure, stress, and multi-problems that seek for a solution and answer. We are so suppressed by the routine of this every day life style that most of us seem helpless. However, if we look closely to ancient techniques we shall discover the magnificent way to understand and realize the ones around us and mostly ourselves. If only we could stop for a moment and allow this to happen…

Let me bow to Indian Maharishi Patanjali with folded hands who helped in removing the impurities of the mind through his writings on Yoga, impurities of speech through his writings on Grammar, and impurities of body through his writings on Ayurveda.

The American justice Dept. have recently approved the power of Yoga and Meditation vide a recent judgement in the American court. "Man Who Slapped Wife Sentenced to Yoga, It's Anger Management, Says Judge." First there was house arrest. Now there's yoga. A judge ordered a man convicted of slapping his wife to take a yoga class as part of his one-year probation. "It's part of anger management," County Criminal Court at Law Judge Larry Standley said of the ancient Hindu philosophy of exercise and well-being. "For people who are into it, it really calms them down."

Yoga which is one of the greatest Indian contribution to the world has got vast potential in all fields. At Tihar Jail in India, Yoga is experimented among the inmates and found successful. Their criminal mentality is changed. This study aimed at investigating the effect of "Vipassana Meditation" on Quality of Life, Subjective Well-Being, and Criminal Propensity among inmates of Tihar Jail, Delhi. To this effect the following hypotheses were formulated. 1) There will be a significant positive effect of "Vipassana Meditation" on the Quality of Life of inmates of Tihar jail. 2) "Vipassana Meditation" will have a positive and significant effect on Subjective Well-Being of inmates. 3) Criminal propensity of inmates will decrease significantly after attending the "Vipassana Meditation" course. 4) There will be significant difference in Subjective Well-Being and Criminal propensity of experimental (Vipassana) group and control (non-Vipassana) group. 5) Male and female inmates will differ significantly in Subjective Well-Being and Criminal propensity, as a result of "Vipassana Meditation".

In the famous "Time" magazine, the importance of Meditation and Yoga, an ancient Indian system, is highlighted that the ancient Mind- and Spirit-enhancing art is becoming increasingly popular and gaining medical legitimacy. It is a multi billion dollar business in US. In many Universities it is accepted as subject and included in the Syllabus. In the latest famous book "Inspire! What Great Leaders Do" written by Mr. Lance Secretan recently published by John Wiley and sons, the benefit of meditation is elaborately described for good corporate governance. By practicing transcendental meditation, or TM, many people have got relief from back pain, neck pain, depression. The mind calms and quiets. What thoughts you have during meditation become clearer, more focused. Anger, anxiety and worries give way to peace. In the world of exorbitant medical expenses one can definitely make use of meditation. Maharshi Mahesh Yogi and Sri Ravi Sankar are popularizing this.

In Bhagwad-Gita Lord Krishna has inspired Arjuna to rise from his depression by preaching Gita on the battlefield and to rise from the depression to do his duties. In Holy Gita we can see, being hidden by the cosmic overview of any institution beset with myriad of problems, not the least of which is its lack of moral probity, there is a groundswell of educated people seeking answers to deeply personal but universally asked questions. Chief Executives taking lessons from yoga, meditation and learning, how to deal with human resources equations in an enlightened manner. Individuals from every walk of life can get ideas of how to be better human beings, more balanced and less stressed out.

Medical studies continue to show regular meditation working magic in reducing blood pressure and stress-related illnesses, including heart disease. Brain images show that regular meditation helps calm the most active sensory-assaulted parts of the brain. The ancient Hindu sage Patanjali who had mastered the secrets of the human mind has written a book "Yogasutra". In this book we can see how super powers can be achieved by meditation. It has both cosmic relevance and cosmic resonance. In spite of its universal appeal, for most people total control of mind remains an elusive goal and daunting task. From time immemorial, there have been many attempts throughout the world to unlock the mysteries of the mind and to achieve total control over it through a variety of techniques. One of the most powerful of these techniques is meditation. Many spiritual leaders, sages, saints, and holy people such as Sri. Buddha, Sri Ramakrishna, Madam Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda have practiced this. It is said that in the unknown period of Lord Jesus Christ, He too was under meditation.

Ref. Yoga magazines
Newsweek
New York times
Time magazine

When Work Is Play then it is Karma Yoga

Have you ever played football or any other game just for the joy of playing it? When you play it with full vigor, then you derive special joy while playing it. If you play that game, for say two hours, then complete two hours give you joy of that game. In such a game it hardly matters for you whether you win or lose. After the game is over, a sense of satisfaction comes to you, as you had a good time playing it & you enjoyed it. But the only thing that is must in such a game to derive pleasure out of it is that you need to play it with full vigor & involvement. You need to be 100% in it while playing that game, as then only real joy of playing it comes to you.

Same is the case with any WORK that you do. If you get fully involved in it & give your 100% to it, then you too get a deep satisfaction doing that work & really enjoy while doing it. If there is a sense of complete involvement in any work, then you will love doing it, as it shall give a deep soul satisfaction that you have done your work with full devotion. In such an involvement, you just forget about the end result that this work shall derive. In any way, if you work with full dedication & devotion, then end result shall be good only & shall give success ultimately. But in such an involvement in work, it is the work only that matters & hardly mind thinks of the end result.

If you derive joy in work, then it becomes just like a play, in which joy of play is more important than the end result. So when WORK becomes PLAY then you are really doing it properly. Doing work in this way is what the Philosophy of Bhagwat Gita teaches us. In doing work in such a way, it becomes "Nishkama Karma" as explained in the Bhagwat Gita. "Nishkama Karma" just means, no egoism in our action, no expectation of any gain or reward but doing your work effectively. It is also that : “You have a right to action but never to the fruits of action.” Below verses of Bhagwat Gita Explains that only.

"Karmanye vadhikaraste
ma phalesu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani" (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."

"Yoga-sthah kuru karmani
sangam tyaktva dhananjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva
samatvam yoga ucyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 48)"

"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: Perform your duty with an equipoise mind, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called Yoga."

So just do your work with your 100% involvement & dedication & derive pleasure out of doing such work. You yourself shall then see that when you care for the work only & not it's final outcome, you work most effectively. Doing work in such a way is only called "Karma Yoga".

Read also...............It's Journey not the Outcome that matters

Read also...............What is Karmayoga?

Jai Sri Krishna.

River Worship - "Ganga Aarti"

The Ganga ( गंगा Gaṅgā) or Ganges River is a major river of the Indian subcontinent. It is associated with mythology, as well as, reality with the people of India. It is a very sacred river to all the Hindus. In Hinduism it is personified as a Goddess & it is an integral part of Hindu religion. It is believed by all the Hindus that bathing in the Ganges river, generally or on certain occasions causes the remission of sins and facilitates the attainment of salvation (Moksha). So Hindus travel from distant places to take a holy dip in it's waters. Hindus also immerse the ashes of their kin in the sacred waters of the Ganges. Such rituals normally take place at Haridwar, Varanasi (Kashi or Banaras) and Allahabad.

Recently I visited Varanasi which is also called Kashi or Banaras. Varanasi is situated on the bank of Ganges River in Uttar Pradesh state of India. It is considered to be the oldest city on earth. It is also called the city of "Lord Shiva". "Kashi Vishwnath temple" over here is a Shiva temple which is there in the city since time immemorial. For me visiting over here was really a spiritual experience. A spiritual aura pervades through whole of the city & a special peace comes to mind sitting on the banks of Ganges River. The greatest experience was participating in the "Evening Ganga Aarti" (Evening prayers to the Ganges River) at it's bank. It was not less than a cultural festival which happens daily on it's bank. Thousands of people (Indian, as well as, foreigners) take part in this "Evening Ganga Aarti" daily. The devotion of the people is unparalleled at that time of evening prayers. Here below are some pictures of the Ganges River & the ritual of Ganga Aarti, taken by me at Varanasi. Hope you would like it.

In Bhagwat Gita, Lord Krishna himself declares that among all the rivers, God himself is there as "River Ganga ( गंगा Gaṅgā)" on this earth. So River Ganga is a form of living Goddess only. Below verse of Bhagwat Gita explains that only.

"pavanah pavatam asmi
ramah shastra-bhrtam aham
jhasanam makaras chasmi
srotasam asmi jahnavi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 31)
"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: Of all the purifiers I am the wind; of the wielders of weapons I am Rama; of fishes I am the shark; and of all the flowing rivers I am the River Ganges."

Gita Saar

Here below is the brief essence of the Philosophy of Bhagwat Gita. Teachings of Bhagwat Gita were given by Lord Krishna, the God Himself to his disciple Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra in Haryana State of India. These teachings were given more than 5000 years ago but these are still relevant today in our lives.

• Whatever happened in the past, it happened for the good; Whatever is happening, is happening for the good; Whatever shall happen in the future, shall happen for the good only. Do not weep for the past, do not worry for the future, concentrate on your present life.

• What did you bring at the time of birth, that you have lost? What did you produce, which is destroyed? You didn't bring anything when you were born. Whatever you have, you have received it from the God only while on this earth. Whatever you will give, you will give it to the God. Everyone came in this world empty handed and shall go the same way. Everything belongs to God only.

• Whatever belongs to you today, belonged to someone else earlier and shall belong to some one else in future. Change is the law of the universe.

• You are an indestructible Soul & not a body. Body is composed of five elements - Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Sky; one day body shall perish in these elements.

• Soul lives forever even after death as soul is never born & never dies. So Why do you worry unnecessarily? What are you afraid of? Who can kill you?

• Devote yourself to the Almighty God only. One who takes the support of God, always gains freedom from fear, worry and despair.

The Important Three

Always think of :

God

Other's respect

Self deficiency

Always be afraid of :

Pride

Greed

Gluttony

Always Hate :

Sin

Ego

Dirtiness of Mind

Always Care for:

Mother Father

Destitute

Sick Man

Always follow :

Truth

Non Violence

Chanting God's Name

Always Love :

Doing Your Duty

Your Country

God

Always hurry in :

Giving Alms

Worship of God

Reading Religious books

Always Have faith in:

God's Grace

Good Conduct

Self Confidence

Always ponder on :

How to be close to God

How to help the poor

How to make your heart Sin free

Always Talk Lovingly with:

Your Wife

Your Subordinates / Servants

Poor People

Don't Hate :

Lower Caste People

Poor People

Sick Man

Don't Disregard :

Others Religion

Others Deity

Self Determination

Don't always think of :

Money

Son

Self respect

Daily go to :

Saint's place

Worship Place

To your Job's place

Three doors to hell :

Lust

Anger

Greed

Joy of Complete Surrender

Many of us do Prayer sometimes, some do it daily. We all do get some peace of mind & happiness while doing Prayer. Later on when we get involved in our daily chorus, all tensions of life again surround us. Little peace that we get during prayer is lost when we experience tensions of our job. How can it be that our mind remains at peace & in a happy state of mind always?

To be at peace with yourself & be happy all the times, you need to surrender your ego to the God completely. We need to be in constant remembrance of God. We need to take complete refuge in God by surrendering our ego at the feet of God. By complete surrender to God we do get freedom from all our sins and sorrows. In God there is no sin or sorrow. God is like the Sun in which darkness cannot exist. God is complete Joy, complete Bliss. When we are surrendering our ego to God, then we are surrendering ourselves to Joy & Bliss.

Whenever our ego separates ourselves from God, we become sad & unhappy & all tensions of life surround us. In any case we should not be egoistic, as to be egoistic is to show our separate existence from God, separate existence from Joy & Bliss. When the subtle veil of ego is torn between you & God then you are full of Joy & happiness. Just think yourself to be an instrument of God & devote fully to God.

So do Complete Surrender to God, as in this way you shall be free of all tensions of life & shall be at peace & be happy during all walks of life. Below verse of Bhagwat Gita teaches the same.

"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, Surrender unto Me alone. By surrendering all duties to Me, seek refuge in Me. I shall absolve you of all sins; grieve not."

Fragility of Life

As per one Report:

"Even as India still has a long way to go before achieving the target of full registration of births and deaths, the country currently registers at least 34 births and 10 deaths every minute............but the figure accounted for less than 70% of the actual data as a number of states lagged far behind in the process."

So if we see, every minute people are born & every minute people are dying. Yet it seems to us that we shall be permanent on earth & forget that we shall have to leave this earth, one day or the other. Life is not permanent on earth & we too shall have to leave everything behind someday. So why this ego & attachment. Let's see the Fragility of Life & do something good in life. What good can be than devoting your whole life to God by doing all our actions for the God so that our present & hereafter life shall be better.

"jatasya hi dhruvo mrityur
dhruvam janma mrtasya cha
tasmad apariharye ’rthe
na tvam socitum arhasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 27)

"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament."

Good Words

"To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.'" When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.

Concentrate on this sentence...................."The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

Jai Sri Krishna

Are Women More Religious Than Men?

As per one Report:

"Women pray more often than men, are more likely to believe in God, and are more religious than men in a variety of other ways, according to a new study. Analysts say that the reasons could range from traditional mothering duties to the tendency of men to take risks, reports Live Science. The survey involved interviews with more than 35,000 US adults by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

A mountain of Gallup survey data attests to the idea that women are more religious than men, hold their beliefs more firmly, practice their faith more consistently, and work more vigorously for the congregation, "Gallup wrote."

As per me, to be religious or not depends upon individual's thinking & faith in God, irrespective of gender. It can vary as per different geographies of the world. I have my own data which varies from this report. I have a "Bhakti Sangeet (Devotional Music) Channel" on You Tube where as on date 101 Videos are uploaded. I joined You Tube one year back & as on date these Devotional Videos have been viewed 2.5 Million times in total. Daily average views by interested ones around the world are around 14,000 Video views on this channel. Below are Demographics Charts for my channel which explain how many % of Male & Female viewers are seeing these Devotional Videos. There is also a Bar Chart which explains the age groups, which are viewing these Devotional Videos.

Demographics
Who is watching the videos in this Channel?

Genders for all age groups

Age ranges for both genders

So from these charts it is clear that overall 36% Females & 64% Males are seeing these Devotional Videos on my channel. Age group 35-54 are the most (for both the genders) who are seeing these Devotional Videos. This data is representative of my channel on You Tube only & not as a whole. I would again like to say that Faith in God is individual matter, irrespective of gender. Anybody & everybody is free to pray & have faith in God irrespective of gender. As per Bhagwat Gita God accepts everyone (even the vilest sinner) who worships Him with devotion. Below verses explain that only.

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

'Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: Even if the vilest sinner worships Me with full devotion, he/she should be considered a noble soul or saint; as he/she 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)

'Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: He/she speedily becomes virtuous and secures lasting peace. O son of Kunti, know it for certain that My devotee never falls.'

It's Journey not the Outcome that matters

How many of you want success in life? Everybody. How many of you want Failure in life? Nobody. How many of you have always succeeded in every endeavor in your life? Nobody. How many of you have tasted failure also on the way to success in life? Everybody. Now why it is that we all want Success only in life & no one expects Failure in life, while Failure is as a part & parcel of life as the Success is. Answer is simple, Success makes you feel at the top of the world, while Failure makes you feel depressed, demotivated. Have you ever wondered why we feel uncomfortable at failure & always dislike it?

Simple answer to why we dislike failure is that we are always result oriented & always have end result in our mind. We always expect a preset outcome for our work. If outcome is to our expectation then we are happy, otherwise, we get disappointed & depressed. It is the nature of our mind only that it gets elated & depressed at the results of our expectations. Say you have appeared for an exam & it's result is to be declared. If you have a preset in your mind that you shall get First class in the exams then you have tuned your mind for an expectation of First class. Now mind shall do it's own work when the result is declared. Just think what, simple, if you do get First class, then your mind shall rejoice & if you don't, it shall get depressed. Problem is not with the mind but with YOU who have programmed it for an expectation. Same is the case with all the work you do in your life with a preset outcome or expectation for your work.

Whenever we are doing a work keeping in mind the end result (say money, promotion etc.) then we tend to live in tension & desperation, driven to "the result" and attached to an outcome. While doing the work in this way takes a toll on our life. We may succeed, we may fail in our goal but in such a case we shall not be doing the work with peaceful mind.

Now see this Philosophy of enjoying the process or life experience while doing any work. Now if you do not work with the end result or preset outcome in mind & rather enjoy the way, the process, the path in doing any work, it shall be much better. Doing any work not keeping the preset end result in mind shall also relieve you from the disappointment of failure. In fact "Life is a journey and not a destination". If we love the journey of doing any work, we shall be more happy & satisfied than if we work with a preset end result in our mind. If we love the journey of doing any work then we shall not be in tension while doing the work. It shall also relieve you of any negative feeling, emotion, embarrassment, regret, etc. in the end if the outcome is negative.

It is the same philosophy that "Bhagwat Gita" teaches us. Here below is the famous quote of Bhagwat Gita:

"Karmanye vadhikaraste
ma phalesu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani" (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."

Basic meaning of this verse is to do your duty and be detached from its outcome. It is only teaching not to be driven by the end product but rather enjoy the process of getting there. The enjoyment of the process, experience of getting there is more important than the end result. It is teaching the same thing, "Life is a journey and not a destination". So enjoy the Journey not only the end result. So it is better to perform your actions and carry out your duty in an efficient way rather than caring or worrying about the results. Below verse also explains more.

"Yoga-sthah kuru karmani
sangam tyaktva dhananjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva
samatvam yoga ucyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 48)

"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: Perform your duty with an equipoise mind, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called Yoga."

Basic meaning of this verse is that if we do our duty or work with equipoise, peaceful mind & do not get attached to success or failure or end result of that endeavor, then we shall do our work effectively. In this way disappointment shall also be not there if we somehow do not succeed in the end. All the philosophy of Bhagwat Gita is only teaching that it is the process, journey of doing work which is important than the end result. Having this attitude of mind, you shall enjoy any activity or situation that you shall come across in your life, without the fear of failure.

Let your life be like a River. River flows with full vigor & power throughout it's journey. So same be your attitude to any work. Do your work with full vigor, enthusiasm & power. Enjoy your work. Doing your work or duty in such a way, your whole life shall be full of joy.

Read also...................................What is Karma?

Read also...................................What is Karmayoga?

Mahakaal Tripurari - Bhajan - Music Video

Here below is a Video of the Devotional song of the Hindus to "Lord Shiva" called "Mahakaal Tripurari" which is a Hindu divine song sung in the praise of Lord Shiva , the Lord of Destruction as per Hindu mythology. To all devotees of Lord Shiva, it is very popular Devotional song & loved by all of them. As per the Hindu mythology god is ONE. Lord Krishna is same as Lord Rama & also same as Lord Shiva.

As per Bhagwat Gita Chapter Ten Verse - 23, God himself declares that He (Lord Krishna) is same as Lord Shiva.So enjoy this beautiful Video dedicated to God in the form of Lord Shiva.

"Mahakaal Tripurari" Bhajan is sung by Anuradha Paudwal.