Spending time together and Communication is basis of all relations

A college going boy and girl felt in love with each other, they gave their hearts to each other and took vow to give life for sake of each other, soon they got married. Everything was going well, they started their job. Now they hardly would meet each other and didn't practically get time to talk also. Soon both started feeling insecurity and that lead to quarrels, once girl asked the boy,"do you really love me", and boy who was also frustrated due to tension in relationship said,"No", and girl left him, This was the end of the story. What was the reason for their break-up, they seemed so committed? It was nothing but lack of communication, that's all. It's said, 'Without the communication there is no relationship, without respect there is no love, without trust there is no reason to continue'. We must take out some time for our near and dear ones, it's not a distance that keep people apart but it's a lack of communication. Spending time and serving each other increases affection, and that's what we need, heart can only understand the language of love and care, not the language of flesh and things.

What to say of only in relationships but everywhere we need to have good communication. When a pilot is flying an aeroplane he must have to be connected with control system operators, similarly with big ships and cruises, they are also connected to get the indication of direction. They have to be in touch with ground staff for successful journey, if they miss communication they are in trouble for sure. Similarly with human relationships, if we miss the communication we will be in trouble.

Communication to relationship is like oxygen to life, without which it dies. This is not only true with material relationships but spiritual too! Our story is like that of girl who left her husband, we also left the God due to our little independence but God has not left us. We have forgotten Him but He keeps reminding us of our relationship with Him through scriptures, His deities, Prasad etc. Just like we give time to develop material relationships, similarly we also need to give time to God to develop spiritual relationship, but when we stop communication relationship also stops.

So if we want to develop a little attraction and love for God which is whole and sole purpose of life, start spending time with Him, communicate with Him! One may argue I don't know God, How will I love Him? few centuries ago young girls would get married to boy, she would not know who that person is, but slowly by serving him with faith maturity would come and she would realise, ohh!! he is my husband. Similarly we may not know the personality of Godhead but by serving Him slowly the understanding will come that He is our most merciful Lord. And best way to communicate with the God is to chant His holy names, which are non-different from him, spend time taking Dharshan of his deities and serving Him through other methods of Bhakti will quickly arouse love for Him.

Article by Rupeshgauranga Dasa

Sent by www.iskcondesiretree.com

Greed breeds only greed

Few days ago top 5 doctors from Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai were accused for being involved in kidney racket, they would allure poor people from villages by giving money and take out their kidneys to transplant the diseased kidneys of rich people. They would charge many lacs for one transplant surgery. There was one more doctor, who brutally killed his 6 patients in last 2 years for money and property. Former deputy CM was arrested by ACB for indulging in collection of fraud money, he has property worth of thousands of crores, but now locked up in Arthur road jail with his sons. Also there are so many politicians, police, officials and others indulge in bribing and scams, why? don't they get paid for their job? Or they don't get sufficient salary to maintain their life?...No! They get well paid, then why they make money by unlawful way? Because of 'Greed' in heart which keeps saying I want some more, some more and keeps heart away from satisfaction, greed burns like the fire, more you satisfy the greed more it becomes, greed reproduces only greed.

Bhagavatam in 8th canto explains the pastime of Vaman Dev, Dwarf incarnation of Lord. He went to Bali, who was the king of entire universe that time, to get some donation, Bali was well known for giving charity. He asked 3 steps of land. Bali started laughing and said,"it seems you are not very intelligent boy, I can offer you entire planet, ask something big by which you won't have to beg again in life". Vaman replied,"those whose senses are uncontrolled they can't be satisfied by any amount of wealth, if I am not satisfied by 3 paces of land then how will I be satisfied with possessing entire earth". Bali realised his mistake, he also understood that although entire universe belongs to him but he is not satisfied, he still wanted to conquer. The lesson is unless one knows desire management techniques from our scriptures he will be miserable although he may have great wealth of world.

In Gita lord Krishna says,"lust, anger and greed are 3 ways to hell". Because under their influence person doesn't bother about what is sin and what is piety he just want to satisfy his senses. But satisfaction of senses doesn't make heart satisfied. People's bank account may be overflowing but heart is empty. The only thing which can satisfy us is to love and to be loved. Even in material life you may have everything but if there is no one to love you, will that satisfy you? Things can't touch the heart. Sensual pleasures, mental pleasures can't give us real satisfaction because it's not thing of flesh and mind but it's a thing of heart. People's name and fame may be high but heart is vacant and to fill the vacancy and emptiness they become greedy and lusty and eventually more depressed. These are all Symptoms of sick and very shallow consciousness and world's top people are victim of this.

There were personalities like Prahlad, Dhruva, Ambarisha, Yudhistir who were rich, conquerer and successful kings,but they were not greedy and their hearts' were content full  because things of this world- wealth, gold, power, prestige, name and fame they used in service to God and humanity, without attachment and pride. When we engage in service of God then we will experience the tranquility of peace and love within which everyone is seeking.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*10 Spiritual lessons from Mumbai Locals*

While travelling in Mumbai local trains we have got many experiences, some bitter, some sweet and so on and so forth, here I have tried to explain the similarities between our spiritual life and local trains, also noted some lessons.
1) *Start early* - as early you start your travel, get less crowd and you can travel peacefully. Similarly as day progresses crowd of thoughts start accumulating in mind, early morning peaceful hours are best time for your spirituality.
2) *Be punctual* - time, tide and local waits for no man, be there at station on time. Be there at temple or at place of your worship and sadhana on time, don't miss anything.
3) *Make friendship* -  make good relations with your daily co-passengers that help in reducing boredom of long travel. In spirituality also make friendship with devotees who can inspire us to continue our spiritual journey.
4) *No excuse for ignorance* - let's say a person with 2nd class train ticket boards a 1st class coach or ladies coach and TC(or police) catches him, will he be forgiven? no, he will have to pay the fine. Similarly we can't break the God's law saying I don't believe in law or I don't know the law, we must need to know them by reading Bhagvad Gita regularly.
5) *Be compassionate* - if you see old person or old lady or lady with small kid offer them seat, be sympathetic, share your care, giving will increase joy. In spiritual society also try to share what you have received from God.
6) *Try to adjust* - journey won't be always comfortable try to adjust and reach the destination. Try to adjust with fellow devotees, after all journey is for temporary period and know that at the end of journey home is awaiting us.
7) *Don't give up* - because the train is crowded don't leave the train till you reach destination, hold on to people. There will be many problems in spiritual life too but hold on to devotee association.
8) *Be cool and humble* - don't pick up fights for small issues, in devotee association also be cool, calm and humble.
9) *Attachment* - sometimes people are so much attach to window seat as if they have got it from home and again going to take that to home. We have got nothing when we took birth and we are not going to take anything when we will die, only our Bhakti will accompany us in next birth.
10) *Be alert* - be careful of pick-pocketer, see what's going on around in coach. Similarly be careful of mind and senses, they can distract us anytime from our service to God.

Ys Rupeshgauranga Dasa
In the service of www.iskcondesiretree.com

2G, 3G, 4G...what about BG !

G in 2G, 3G and 4G stands for the “Generation” of the mobile network. Today, mobile operators have started offering 4G services in the country. A higher number before the ‘G’ means more power to send out and receive more information and therefore the ability to achieve a higher efficiency through the wireless network. The speed of data transmission on a 3G network ranges between 384KBPS to 2MBPS. This means a 3G network actually allows for more data transmission and therefore the network enables voice and video calling, file transmission, internet surfing, online TV, view high definition videos, play games and much more. 4th Generation mobile networks are believed to provide many value added features, it provides speed between 100MBPS to 1GBPS.

But the question is what are we going to do with so much data and connectivity? Just information and entertainment by playing online games, viewing hd videos and surfing? Researchers say that an average person spends 759 hours on mobile yearly, means approx 2.5 hours daily (a college students spends 7-8 hours daily) to reduce their boredom rather than reading books or mixing with friends. There is psychological disease called as 'No Mobile Phobia'- person gets tensed, fearful, anxious ,he feels unsecured when his mobile is not with him(this data was collected for 2G and not 4G, God knows what will be the stats in case of 4G ). Many top people in America are deciding to take 'smart phone vacation' one day every week to reduce distress and habit of scrolling down the apps aimlessly to become more productive by utilising time. Yes off course world has come closer due to mobiles and networks and many things are simplified, but Is your mobile changing you in anyway? Is it able to get any positivity in life or is it just wasting our time? Is it taking us anywhere?

You must be wandering what's this BG connection, have you ever heard of this network before? No...BG stands for Bhagvad Gita, the network which has faster connection than any other and it's there from millions of generations(BG-4.1) without change because BG is given by God himself. BG provides you the interplanetary connections, also It provides various featured info of karma yoga, astanga yoga and especially Bhakti yoga to connect with God which is aim of human life. BG has 18 apps(chapters), all relevant and surcharged with holiness and positivity(because they are words of God), you can scroll down any app to get inspiration for your life in any situation, May that be happy, sad or neutral. BG connection has all the power to transform it's user's life. People are wasting their 1/3rd of awake time on mobiles which creates mental and physical problems, but spending a little time with BG enlivens the soul. BG is fail safe connection with unlimited satisfied users(BG-4.10) and no disadvantage or errors in connections.

BG not only tells us how to be happy and satisfied in this life but also offers us the way to reach eternality at the end of this life by following simple terms and conditions. Many of us may have the habit of doing time pass on phone before going to bed at night but Researchers say, 2-3 hours before sleeping one shouldn't use electronic gadgets else one will suffer insomnia and eye related problems, so why not utilise this time to be with BG and establish the most authentic, error free and genuine connection with God to be happy!

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

Selfie makes you forgetful of Self

There was no word as 'selfie' in Oxford dictionary till November 2013, but by seeing the craze and popularity of selfie amongst the people this word was given place in the dictionary as 'Word of the Year-2013', selfie means when one takes photos of oneself to share on social media. A year ago parent took his 18 year old daughter to hospital, because she was unable to keep her mobile away from her and had a habit of taking 10 selfies per day and upload them on social sites. A review by psychiatrists found that she had 'Selfitis' – a newly termed mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Here, a person develops an obsessive compulsive disorder of clicking selfies, "They strike different poses as they are not happy with one picture. They then upload them on social networking sites to get approval in the virtual world," said Doctor.

According to the study, the people who post their selfies on different online social networks have a problem of being praised by others. They seek attention and always pose in weird and unnatural styles in their photos for taking the attention of their friends and getting more “likes”. In another study, American Psychiatric Association says “if a person takes three selfies in a day, then he has mental disorder. People are so much worried about their looks and poses.

Speaking on the selfie craze, Benedict Cumberbatch summarizes it well in his comments to Business Standard, “What a tragic waste of engagement. Enjoy the moment. Do something more worthwhile with your time, anything. Stare out the window and think about life”, yes don't only click selfies but think about life, let's have small exercise. See your photo when you were 1 year old, and check the photo when you were 5,10,15 years respectively, now let's compare them with your today's selfie. What difference did you find? Are you looking exactly the same in all pics? No...our face has changed, nose has grown, our whole body has changed and it's is changing every year, every day, and it will be different in future but we don't say that old picture is not mine, we feel the same identity, isn't it? Body is completely different but we feel we are same person. What this change and transformation in body signifies, Bhagvad Gita says,"The material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is sure to come to an end; therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata".

This important principle Gita teaches us, we are not this body but we are eternal soul, body is temporary but soul is eternal. In the craze of selfie we have forgotten this reality and started taking this temporary body more important and serious, according to scriptures we keep taking different different bodies according to karma, so we had been to many bodies previously but real self had remained the same and that is spirit soul, it's ever lasting and that's our real identity. So let's focus on our real and permanent self than selfie of temporary self, the body.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Faith Healers or Fake Healers*

Under the name of  'Festival of joy and public meeting' ministry of Jesus organizes faith healing sessions in various parts of India, not only in poor and uneducated villages but also in cities like Mumbai, Delhi and in next month at Kanpur. And I am too curious to know in scientific age how thousands of general people eagerly waits for such kind of meeting and attend them with sincere heart and feelings. Magicians are illusionists. Their performance is based on the principle that people are gullible and the human mind is very easy to trick. But most magicians are careful not to claim supernatural power. This is the only difference between magicians and fake healers. Fake healers claim to perform miracles. The truth is fake healers are like parasites preying on the weak and sick. When the human spirit and body have been devastated by an illness it leaves a person vulnerable. Many people go to faith healers because all other means of a cure have failed. They look at a miracle as their last chance to get their health back. Fake healers understand this human weakness and they use it to get what they want, money. Modern day faith healers do not have any supernatural power. They are like magicians putting on a performance.  Magic is not real, it is based on illusions. The same is true of faith healers today.

If faith healing could really have worked then why don't these so called healers go to hospitals and cure patients, in fact there was faith healer named as Benny Hinn, who once went to hospital to cure patient but he couldn't do anything and returned back shamelessly, to cover up his hypocrisy he called for celebrity Evander Hollyfield who was Benny's fan and asked Evander to acts as a heart diseased and Benny cured his disease in front of people to get their faith again. During the past forty years, several investigators have studied this subject closely and written about their findings. In 'Faith Healing' book, Louis Rose, a British psychiatrist concluded, "I have been unsuccessful. After nearly twenty years of work I have yet to find one 'miracle cure'; and without that I cannot be convinced of the efficacy of what is commonly termed faith healing." The most comprehensive examination of contemporary "healers" is James Randi's 'The Faith Healers'. The book describes how many of the leading evangelistic healers have enriched themselves with the help of deception and fraud. Some of Randi's evidence came from former associates of the evangelists who got disgusted with what they had observed. Randi's most noteworthy experience was the unmasking of Peter Popoff, an evangelist who would call out the names of people in the audience and describe their ailments. Popoff said he received this information from God, but it was actually obtained by his paid people who mingled with the audience before each performance. Pertinent data would be given to Popoff's wife, who would broadcast it from backstage to a tiny receiver in Popoff's ear.

There are unlimited stories of such fake healers, but there are real faith healers too! Who are they? They are saints and aacharyas who by their actions and words heal the heart of people and bring them towards the God and make them happy, for an example Prabhupad is real faith healer he actually made hippy into happy by bringing them in connection with God and that's the real miracle. So choice is ours whom to support, the real faith healers or fake healers ?

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa
sent by iskcondesiretree.com

*Commonsense is not so common*

I just happened to see one pic which showed the tomb where it was written 'R.I.P. Dear Common sense, I will miss you', it's seemed funny but depicted the reality of the world. In today fast moving technological world Common sense has become super natural power, because hardly anyone has it. There was one high qualified automobile engineer who took the contract for making most beautiful car in the world. He started the work in his workshop with his technical friends who were also brilliant like him. In few months car was ready, owner was really pleased. Owner wanted to go for drive, when they were taking car outside they realized that car is few inches taller than entrance. Engineers felt bad that they couldn't notice this thing while creation. Someone said they can bring out the car but there will be few scratches on the top of car, other said they can break the entrance, but owner didn't like the idea of scratching and breaking. They were approached by the watchman who was watching all this drama, he wanted to give some idea if they have no problem. Engineers thought what suggestion this guy is going to give that experts couldn't give. Watchman said, "the car is only few inches taller than the entrance so if they release the air in the tyre, the height of the car will be adjusted can can be easily taken out". And idea worked, owner was more happy.

So the lesson is don't always think in complex and expert way with technical brain but use common sense, high knowledge doesn't always means you have common sense. Someone has said, "common sense is not gift, it's a punishment because you have to deal with everyone who doesn't have it", sometimes it's so difficult to work and co-operate with people who don't have common sense. It's a basic ability to perceive, judge, and understand things and deal with reasonable way.

Prabhupad would tell the story of scholar who was once traveling in boat to cross the river. To show his knowledge he asked boatman, "do you know anything about astrology?", Boatman replied no, "I don't", scholar said, "then your 25% life is waste". He asked different questions to boatman and after hearing negative answers from him, scholar said, "you don't know anything your 75% life is waste". Meanwhile it's so happened during his journey that storm started, it was raining like anything and water of river started entering into the boat. Boatman asked the scholar, "do you know swimming?", he said," No!", boatman replied,"then your 100% life is waste" and jumped into river to cross it and scholar drowned. Scholar learned everything but forgot to learn how to protect one's life in danger, he missed the commonsense. We are also in similar condition of scholar, river is compared to the material world, there will be always turmoil in this world just like storm and rain in river, but we must know how to save our life by swimming across the river. Swimming is compared to the practicing devotional service unto the God, we may know all literatures and books but the commonsense  is to understand that God is source of all and to develop a love for Him by service.

Common sense also means to see the world properly with reality. See the world with reality, which is full of problems like birth, old age, disease and death. See how much suffering exist in the world. On the other side Bhakti process is so simple, no complexities but only full of pleasure till eternity. So let's use our commonsense and choose to follow the path of devotion unto God which gives ultimate success of life.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Old Age Homes- Harsh Reality of 21st century*

Once an old man went to a phone repair shop with his phone and asked the man standing at the shop to check the working of phone, man said, "phone is completely fine", old man replied, "then why I am not receiving any call from my sons since last 2 years?, this is the story of today's world where we are neglecting our old parents, depriving their right to get love which we have received from them. Eighty-year-old Leelabai Lowatkar from one of the old age home, opened her heart and shared her story dejectedly: “My son threw me out of the home because his wife did not like my interference in their nuclear family. My daughter brought me here because she, too, was not economically well off to look after me.” When she was young and ready to take on any challenge, Leelabai had worked as a maid to provide the basic facilities to her children. Then, she never imagined that she would be confined to an old age home even after shaping up future of the two children. 

Just try to remember our past days, when we took birth from womb how much trouble our mother had gone through? When we were tiny kids, who could not speak and do anything but loving parents so nicely took care of us without thinking of themselves, how many nights our mother had remained awake so that we can have sound sleep. How parents have fulfilled our desires to have clothes, good food, to have toys, then schooling, college and graduation it's just unimaginable, they have only supported us, provided us whatever we required. Why so much sacrifice, so much struggle, just so that they could be thrown away from their home when they become unproductive? Parents love is considered to be pure because it doesn't have any expectations and demands but they have only small desire that our child should take care of us when we become invalid. But their ruthless and ungrateful children send them to old age homes where they feel worthless, neglected and hopeless because nobody is there to give them love. Yes, old age home will provide medical facility, good food but who will give emotional fulfillment, money can't buy love. Like Leelabai, there are many seniors with the same background. With the pain of separation from their families, they are counting remaining days of their lives miserably. 

Are we running away from our responsibility towards elders in our families? Have we become so selfish that we consider seniors in our homes useless? This is not an Indian culture, scriptures never taught us this, there is no mention of such a thing called as old-age homes in Scriptures, this is just a sign of ungratefulness. Those who send their old parents to old age homes they go through various problems, like they miss the years of experience and wisdom from them, there is no one in home who will teach children the good habits and culture and give them love of grand parents, there is no one to support and guide on crucial stages of life. They are the main pillars of maintaining culture in society. And such people who give up their parents should not wonder if their children also send them to the old age home, as you sow so shall you reap.

We should be grateful to our parents as well as our eternal parent, God, for providing us love, care and all necessities. Just like people abandon their parents, similarly they abandon God from their life, but who suffers ultimately? They themselves only. So let's not give up our parents but give them love and  care just like they have given us when we were in need, now understand they are in need.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa 

*Myth of death*

Recently I had fortune to Visit holy Dwarka and Bhalka Tirth, Lord Krishna has performed most His pastimes during youth in Dwarka and Bhalka is a place from where Lord Krishna departed for His original abode, Vaikuntha. At this Bhalka tirth I just overheard the conversation between the guide who was showing various places to tourists, in introduction he said, "This is place where Krishna died 5000 years before, He was killed by hunter named Jara". I said, what? How can God die? How He can be killed by ordinary hunter? Such a wrong information this foolish guide was giving, which will eventually spread to society. This situation arises only when one avoids to read Scriptures and depends on unauthorized sources to get knowledge.

In Srimad Bhagavatam Sukdev Goswami clearly describes the pastime of Lord's disappearance from this mortal world. To avoid the confusion and doubt of the people he gives several incidences stating Krishna as the controller of everything including death. He compares Lord Krishna as perfect actor, who after display of drama perfectly winds up everything and gets ready for next drama. End of drama doesn't mean end of actor. Just like Sun, when sun disappears from our eyes that doesn't mean sun is dead but it means sun has appeared somewhere else. Sukdev Maharaj continues, "Lord Kṛṣṇa brought the son of His guru back from the planet of the lord of death in the boy’s selfsame body, and as the ultimate giver of protection He saved you also when you were burned by the brahmāstra of Aśvatthāmā. He conquered in battle even Lord Śiva, who deals death to the agents of death, and He sent the hunter Jarā directly to Vaikuṇṭha in his human body. How could such a personality be unable to protect His own Self?". In fact whoever reads this particular description he attains immortality by grace of Lord. It's commonsense to understand that one who can give immortality to someone how can he be mortal? But problem is commonsense is not so common in this age.

In fact Lord Himself has instructed in Gita(BG 2.12-2.29) several times that, you are not this body but you are eternal soul, body is destructible but soul is imperishable,  For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.

The Bhagavad Gita, especially the 2nd chapter, Sankhyayoga, teaches and convinces us that we don't die, then how can we ever imagine that God dies? For the soul death is actually myth, death doesn't exists for soul what to say of supersoul. So let's not be mislead by false propagators but read the most authentic and bonafide scriptures recommended by our Aacharyas and learn proper knowledge to burn other's misconceptions about the God, Lord Krishna.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*You can't Go with your eGo*

Ego means sense of 'I' being superior to others or thinking I am something special than everyone. Under the influence of ego one thinks I am the doer, proprietor and enjoyer. Ego is part of our subtle body in combination with mind and intelligence, which we can't see but experience very well, for example When ego is smashed there won't be any wounds or scars on body but still person feels hurt. As we all know ego is main reason behind relationship issues, it's said, "Leave your ego else everyone will leave you". It's so funny that we get birth from others, we get love and care by others, we are taught by others, respected by others, in fact first and last bath with funeral ceremony done by others, still we feel I am something and I can do it by my own(even ego is given by others, it's energy of God-BG7.4).  In all conditions of life one must learn to be humble to become successful, May that be our carrier, relationships, family life or anything,one must learn to bent down in front of others. Einstein says, "More the knowledge lesser the ego and lesser the knowledge more the ego", so it's reciprocal, if we are more educated or knowledgeable we should be more humble and not egoistic. Ego is soul's worst enemy because under it's influence one thinks he is the enjoyer and rejects to worship and serve the ultimate enjoyer, God. To give up this false ego is very difficult on our own, one need to take guidance and training from superiors and spiritually advanced people.

Ego is like dam or barrier which blocks the mercy and compassion of God, just like water flows from high to low similar with wind and heat they go from high to low, same way mercy also flows from high to low, God is high and great if we think we also are high and great how grace will flow? So we need to be meek if we are desirous of supreme grace. Even teacher won't teach the student if he is arrogant, teacher reveals all knowledge when student is respectful and humble, this is the key to attain spiritual knowledge also. Lord Krishna didn't spoke Bhagavad Gita until Arjuna accepted lower position, the discipleship unto Lord(BG2.7).

Actually there are 2 egos, the real ego and other false ego, one can't abandon his ego, if one is ignorant about his real ego he is under influence of false ego which is cause of problems. But when person is situated in his real ego as a servant of God that's pleases and satisfies him. Relationship doesn't die a natural death it is murdered by ego, similarly spiritual relation with God, we abandoned His service and love because of our false ego which made us separatist. That's why Lord  frequently tells in Gita to cultivate the quality of humility(BG12.13,13.8).

So let's not this ego come in our way to God, but let's be situated in our real ego as servant of God and His devotees, because with the false ego one can't go anywhere or can't become successful in material world what to say of spiritual world.


Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Copyright © God* *All rights reserved by God*

I have written over 100 articles and blogs, many appreciated and liked it and some  disliked it. But I was really upset with one incidence when I received my own written article with alteration which changed the whole message and meaning of it for which I wrote the blog. I was thinking how can someone do this, it's okey when one removes the author's name but presents the same authentic message but when someone changes meaning then whole intention to present something is lost and wrong message is spread in society. This was with only one article what if someone changes the whole book and misuses it? How much author must be in pain to see this? That's why they have made the copyright law. Copyright is a legal right created by the law of a country that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights for its use and distribution, it's a form of intellectual property, no one can interfere in writings without permission of author. Doctor will not appreciate when his prescriptions are changed by unauthorized men. Even Albert Einstein was also sad when he saw his creation of atom bomb is being misused.

Similar with scriptures, there are people who misinterpreted the scriptures and presented it without the concern and intension of original writer Vedvyas. There are more than 700 editions of Bhagavad Gita all over the world and very few of them teaches the real and original message of Gita that is to surrender unto God, Krishna. How much Lord Krishna is displeased to see His message being altered. Those who have written their commentary on Gita many of them are atheist, antagonistic philosophers and impersonalists, they neither have any faith in the words of Gita nor Krishna they consider both as mythological, how such Gita commentary will help the society to reform?

As Prabhupad says, "The general pattern translators have followed in rendering Bhagavad-gītā into English has been to brush aside the person Kṛṣṇa to make room for their own concepts and philosophies. The history of the Mahābhārata is taken as quaint mythology, and Kṛṣṇa becomes a poetic device for presenting the ideas of some anonymous genius, or at best He becomes a minor historical personage". So only God and His pure devotees coming in bonafide sampraday has right to comment over scriptures, all rights are reserved by them and only they have power to transform the society. To make a person devotee of Lord is purpose of Gita but 700 editions of Gita couldn't make a single devotee. When Prabhupad presented Gita it made transformation in world and many became devotees of Lord because he presented Gita's message As It Is. Prabhupad speaks,  "Kṛṣṇa is the speaker of the Gītā, and its ultimate goal as well, the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is presents this great scripture in its true terms, This Gita directs the reader to Krishna rather than away from Him".

So in conclusion, Gita is great scripture and only God and His unalloyed devotees, those who are surrendered to Him have right to write commentary on it. Non devotees who considers Krishna as historical, mythological, poetic personality and impersonalists have no right to write because that will only spread wrong message and ultimately won't please the original author, the God.


Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Conversion is nothing but aversion to transformation*

Christian pastor Dr Sebastian Martin, who is popularly known as the Healer Baba, passed away on Wednesday. Dr Sebastian Martin, who would claim to cure all illnesses especially kidney and brain tumor using objects infused with divine powers, died because of kidney failure. The pastor was found dead in his residence in Vasai. What a contradiction? Who claimed to cure kidneys of many could not treat himself. Off course we are not against any faith or religion but we are against the illogical conversation process. Today's conversion is like alluring ignorant and foolish child with sweet meat. Each religion teaches to increase its follower but not by changing their faith with miraculous allurements but by transformation of their heart.

There is no need to go in the details of what miracles faith healers perform but if healing fails they held people's lack of faith responsible for that, and there are countless cases where simple but ignorant people lost their life. Also one thing to notice that scriptures including Bible doesn't frequently talks about miracles(Even a powerful prophet like John the Baptist didn’t perform any miracles -Jn. 10:41). God wants that we should undergo realities of life and learn a life lesson that this world is not for sane, just see the example of Pandavas, although God was present with them, He didn't performed miracles now and then, they fought, struggled in all situations of life and Lord Krishna supported them. Showing frequent miracles distracts one from message of God and one starts considering God as order supplier and servant. Many times it happens that these healers hire the actors who acts as a diseased, the whole story including dialogues and actions are narrated to them and organizers try to keep real diseased people away from the stage.

But the real question remains, What they are going to do with number of followers? Is there any transformation of heart after changing religion? If the person is engaged in similar activities like meat eating and illicit sex, that he was doing before conversion then what's the use of conversion? If the quality is not there then what's the value to quantity? That's why Prabhupad always stressed the point 'Boiling the milk' means training the people to become hardcore devotees of God rather than just increasing numbers.

In conclusion, God still works miraculously today, and as believers, we should welcome the miraculous acts of God. But modern faith healers have exploited the Bible’s teaching and made it as Menu card. So let's not focus on conversion but focus on transformation of heart by following the verdict of scriptures and not the so called faith healers.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Do Welfare before your Farewell*

Recently I went to my secondary school to collect some certificates. It was very strange for me that no one could recognize me including my class teacher although I was school SSC topper and received many medals from school for this achievement. I contemplated on this fact and came to an understanding that although I was topper, it was my personal merit and benefit but I neither helped anyone nor appreciated a single person including my teachers, I was just thinking about me and my carrier and not about others, I never worked for community merit. Similar thing happens with many, they are just bothered about themselves, their carrier, their family, own welfare and that's all, others doesn't exist for them. They don't want to help others due to their selfishness and at the end of the day others also don't remember or bothered about such people, everything you do comes back around.

Like me there are thousands of toppers from universities but no one cares for them because degree and education doesn't pleases the heart but love and care offered to someone with sacrifice makes the heart content full. Welfare means to offer a help to people to support their basic needs. Lord Krishna in Bhagavatam encourages people to do welfare activities such as planting trees and digging well, tree will offer fruits and shed and well will offer water to the needy which will result in attaining supreme result. One must do some welfare before his ultimate farewell that is death by developing attitude of selflessness.

But what's the highest need of person?, to love and to be loved limitlessly which is only possible with God. To connect person to God is the highest welfare activity in the world, as Prabhupad says, "A person engaged only in ministering to the physical welfare of human society cannot factually help anyone. Temporary relief of the external body and the mind is not satisfactory. The real cause of one’s difficulties in the hard struggle for life may be found in one’s forgetfulness of his relationship with the Supreme Lord. When a man is fully conscious of his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, he is actually a liberated soul, although he may be in the material tabernacle".

So welfare work like providing material necessities will help person temporarily but making him aware of his relationship with God will make him happy eternally. So let's not waste this life or die doing nothing substantial in our as well as other's life but experience and give people a rare gift of God consciousness before our ultimate farewell(death).

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Don't Trust the Lust*

Lust means to yearn for something very passionately, especially to fulfill sexual craving unrestrictedly. Lust also means to take another person or things for our own gratification, this enjoyment tendency is cause of all sins, sufferings and problems in the world. Many crimes like human trafficking, rapes and so many others are the result of lust only. Practically all the songs, movies, news, magazines are centered around this lust, no one talks how to subdue it but everyone talks how to fulfill it and proclaim it to be source of all happiness, but scriptures of all religions tell the reality of the lust, they say don't trust and try fulfill the lust as it is sinful enemy of soul, in whose contact person forgets his real identity as servant of God and becomes utterly miserable.

Still there are some so called gurus who teach their disciples to satisfy this lusty craving which will eventually lead to samadhi( Sambhog se Samadhi ki aur). In Gita Arjuna asked Krishna what's the reason person commits sin even he don't want to do it? Lord Krishna tells,“It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world.” This lust never gets fulfilled, Manu smriti explains lust is like a fire, any amount of fuel you supply it will only increase. So satisfaction of lust will not lead to samadhi but there will be more agitation and hankering of senses and mind. As Prabhupad says, "one can control this lust by strength of Krishna consciousness".

By our own endeavor one can't eradicate lust but one should take guidance of proper authority. Who is that authority who can destroy this lust which is destroyer of self realization? He is 'Lord Balaram' the Divine brother of Lord Krishna, once when Krishna, Balaram and their cowherd friends were playing in Vrindavan, one demon named Pralambasura entered into their association by changing his form as gopa and started behaving very friendly with boys and cows, but Lord Krishna recognized him as demon. Two parties were made, pralamba took the side Krishna. Balaram's party won the match, He rode over the pralamba, pralamba took him away from Krishna and thought it's great opportunity to kill Balaram, but Balaramji with the one blow of His feast killed the pralamba.

Aacharyas explains us that pralamba represent the mentality to enjoy opposite sex and to have desire for profit, adoration and distinction. Initially these desires look like friends to us just like pralamba who behaved very friendly with gooas, but later they try to devour us. Everyone of us think that this lust will make us happy and we endeavor to fulfill that but lust only takes us away from ultimate source of pleasure and that is Krishna, in this situation we need the help of blow of Balaram who only can bring us back to God. So let's not trust the lust but trust the destroyer of lust- Balaram and pray for His mercy.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Stressed, depressed but Well Dressed*

Few days back I was traveling in local train and really amazed to see one sight in 1st class coach, there were 2 sophisticated gentlemen quarreling and fighting for Window seat, they were in 3 piece suit and seemed like coming from good background but such a horrible abusive words they were using for each other. I concluded good clothes, ironed dress and higher education doesn't means you are cultured and well nurtured. People are so much stressed due to work pressure, family and relationship issues, EMIs and many other things, so they utilize these petty things like window seat to vent out their anger and frustration. Stress does not see whether a person is rich or poor, old or young or celebrity or a commoner before affecting him. Stress is a disorder that may affect people from all walks of life. Some of the richest and celebrated people suffer from anxiety, like panic disorder, compulsive disorder and obsession.

We all know the story of carrots, eggs and coffee beans, when each one kept for boiling, carrot which was strong it became soft, egg was fragile but after boiling became hardened from inside. But coffee beans were unique they changed the water during boiling. Boiling is compared to stressful situations in life. Carrot seems strong but under adversities it is softened. Egg is fragile and under stress it becomes hard, but beans changes the hot water, the external circumstances. We should be like coffee beans, we should learn to convert adversities into opportunities under proper guidance and not become depressed.

Arjuna was also very much distressed during the Kurukshetra war, because the enemy party was his own kinsmen headed by his loving grandfather and teacher, he says, “seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up”, he rejected to fight, but when he heard Bhagavad Gita from Lord Krishna, the first Stress Management seminar in which Lord talked about the soul, God and purpose of human life, by hearing his all distress went away, he realized his mistakes and actual goal of fighting the war. Similarly whenever we get stressed or depressed we should not get panicked but take shelter of words from Bhagavad Gita, these words have power to destroy the sorrows of life and to give new hope.


Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Why Facebook, Why not Face The Book ?*

Facebook has become part of our life, there are more than billion of users. Their day starts with seeing Facebook notifications and ends with the same.  The amount of time users engage in Facebook activities, like updating statuses, posting photos, commenting and ‘liking’ posts is only increasing. You may ask, what’s wrong if we use Facebook frequently as a means of entertainment, or as a means to relieve your stress? Well, there’s nothing wrong. However, when Facebook activities start interfering with your everyday life and become detrimental to your daily functioning at work or office; they do interfere your activities. People are addicted to sharing, they are most concerned about their profile image, they keep changing it every now and then and keep waiting for poking and comments. It has become the obsession, and they keep wandering aimlessly.

Many feel empty and bored without Facebook, but is Facebook adding any value to our life or it's just entertaining us and taking our valuable time? Yes, it may be adding some values, some information to our life but real values are added by knowledge contained in Books. A book can give us so many things that which we can never imagine, but the problem is that we don't open the book, we are habituated to keep book as it is. There was one boy, he asked father, "if I graduate with good marks will you give me a Sports Car", Father said, "off course I will give you Sports Car". The day came, results were out, he passed with flying colors. He went to father and asked for the gift, father handed over a nicely packed book. Boy was very angry he kept the book as it is for many years. But after the death of his father he thought let me check what was that book, he removed the gift wrapper, opened the book,started turning the pages. Suddenly a key dropped from that book with a tag on it with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the Sports Car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words 'PAID IN FULL'. He realized his mistake. What to say of a car, a book can give us life full of eternity and bliss but let's open it first.

I just heard a famous Ted Talk by one gentleman Tai Lopez, who was sharing his secret of success, he reads a whole book everyday from last 15 years! Someone said well, "If you think reading is boring then you are doing it wrong way." So many things and information we have for reading but only information that can make transformation is in scriptures. It's mercy and compassion of Vyasdev who complied scriptures for us, so that we can get knowledge of self and about the God. Our Aacharyas like Rupa and Sanatan goswami and Prabhupad had done so much struggles to present these scriptures to us in a simple and understandable way, why not to take advantage of these transcendental books?

Lord Krishna says in 18th chapter of Gita, "One whoever reads and hears the Gita, he worships Me with his intelligence.", reading is the best way to show our appreciations to it's writer, so when we read the Gita we are appreciating Lord and reciprocating with His love. So let's reduce our Facebook time so that we can give more time to Face the Book especially Bhagavad Gita and perfect our lives.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Are we Misusing Our Independence ?*

India got freedom on 15th August,1947. We celebrate this day each year to pay homage to our leaders and those who fought for India's freedom in the past. This year we will be observing 70th Independence Day, but I don't find any remarkable changes in India over last 70 years, still politicians are corrupt, still so many crimes happening everyday, still farmers committing suicide, rapes, terrorism, many dying out of hunger, news channels may have increased but news are same as 70 years ago. So I wonder many times that, yes, we have got the independence but have we made proper utilization of independence or we misused it?

Off course we have misused our independence which was acquired by struggles of Tilak, Savarkar, Subhashchandra Bose, Bhagatsing and many others. They sacrificed their life, toiled day and night thinking after independence everyone will be happy. What not we could have done in past 70 years to make everyone happy and satisfied, but those who were in power(politicians) they first thought of themselves selfishly neglecting the general populace, They misused the power for their own enjoyment.

Similarly soul is also independent, God has given him the choices or free will. He can properly use his free will, the independence or misuse it. He can do whatever he likes. Many people ask the question why soul comes to this material world? Answer is very simple, because he misused his independence, he wanted to enjoy independently from God and thus God sent him in this world to enjoy separately. There are so many scriptural example stating this fact. Ajamil, misused his independence and became attached to prostitute and fell down from brahmnical standards, Shishupal misused his speaking power to blasfame Krishna. Attraction for sense enjoyment is main cause of misusing free will and one forgets real aim of life too. Proper usage of free will is cause of liberation but improper use will surely bond us.

God never interferes in our independence, at the end of Gita Lord Krishna said to Arjuna that, "I have told you whole Bhagavad Gita, but now do whatever you like". No doubt that Arjuna followed Krishna and His will and he became victorious and successful. So let's not misuse our independence by choosing sense gratification which is cause of our fall down but properly utilize independence by showing our dependence on Krishna and path of Bhakti shown by Krishna in Gita.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*God and Olympics*

The Olympic Games are leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. This year Olympic Games are played in Rio, Brazil. Practically everyone's eyes are on their country's player, who is winning which medal?

Now someone may ask what's the relation between God and Olympic Games, yes there is relation, because sporting tendency also comes from God only, He has this tendency in fullest but in minute quantity within us. Srimad Bhagavatam explains when Lord Krishna was in Vrindavan, as a young boy He would play so many games with his cowherd friends. Prabhupad writes in Krishna book, "The boys played at catching ball with fruits such as bael and amalaka. They played blindman’s buff, challenging and touching one another. Sometimes they imitated the forest deer and various kinds of birds. They joked with one another by imitating croaking frogs, and they enjoyed swinging underneath the trees. Sometimes they would play amongst themselves like a king and his subjects. In this way, Balarama and Krsna, along with all Their friends, played all kinds of sports and enjoyed the soothing atmosphere of Vrndavana, full of rivers, lakes, rivulets, fine trees and excellent gardens filled with fruits and flowers."

Such a innovative and interesting sports Krishna and his friends played. In Vrindavan no one did 'Doping' but still everyone was enthusiastic and energetic because their aim was to please God and not to win the medals. In Vrindavan sports no one is looser, but everyone is gold medalist, everyone gets an opportunity to please the Krishna. Prabhupad was always against the frivolous sports, which were made for only sense gratification and which included exposing the body parts(in case of women), but he encouraged the sports where there was some connection with Krishna. History tells devotees of lord like Uddhava and King Parikshita would play with doll of Krishna when they were small kids.

Today's sports are nothing but imitation of these real games, they are filled with passion and impurities, I just heard a news saying, in game village, Rio, they have distributed around 5 lac contraceptive pills packets and condoms to athletes, means encouraging illicit sex. Also most of these athletes are non-vegetarians, some of them even eat dog(Ki-ko Bay, female archer from Korea), that means violence, cruelty and mercilessness towards poor animals for own benefits.

So it's our choice to play a game which will eventually purify and elevate us to God consciousness or to support and play the games which are degrading human values.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Just Do It...but Do whatever scriptures say*

Just Do It is a trademark of shoe company Nike, and one of the core components of Nike's brand. The slogan was coined in 1988 at an advertising agency meeting. It practically means doing whatever comes to your mind. Mind may say eat this, look at this, hear this, smell this, touch this and so on and so forth and following the verdict of uncontrolled mind will bring only mess in our life.

Just Do It according to mind's direction is the mentality of demons like Ravna and Hiranyakashipu, they always did what they wanted, they never thought about anything or anyone, it satisfies me them I will do it that's was their nature. And what not they did for satisfaction of their own senses, they troubled sages and saints, they looted, they harassed the people, they kidnapped the women, they just did it because of dictations from uncontrolled mind. Activities should be done with the help of superiors and scriptures, not according to desires of mind.

We can't trust the uncontrolled mind, it is worst of enemy. One must control the mind with intelligence. Also doing things according to our own whims is not recommended by Bhagavad Gita verse 16.23, "He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination." , demons acts by their own way but their future is dark according to this verse, what happened to Ravna, he always did what he liked, he was killed and everything was ruined, similar story of Hiranyakashipu and other demons, they never got happiness.

One can not claim that my inner voice is actually voice of God from within, actually our heart is so polluted with vices, craving of desires are so much that actually we can't hear the voice of parmatma although he is advising and directing us every time, it's like a sound of a bubble In front of noise of tsunami. So until and unless our mind is completely purified we must not listen to the mind but we must listen and try to practice according to direction of scriptures, Guru and devotees.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*You are under CCTV surveillance*

Now a days we find everywhere boards written saying, this area is under CCTV surveillance, means you are under observation, someone is watching you and if you found doing wrong activities on CCTV you will be punished. As we all know CCTV stands for Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance. They are use for crime prevention, traffic monitoring, supervision of industrial processes but mostly they are use to reduce and prevent the crimes.

When I was a kid I heard a nice story of a Guru, who wanted to test his disciples at the end of their Vedic studies. He gave everyone a fruit and asked them to eat but kept a condition, condition was that they have to eat the fruit where no one will watch them. Everyone went off for earthing a place where no one will see them, some went to the caves, some hide themselves in home, someone went inside the water of river and so and so forth. Everyone returned back after eating the fruit excluding one extra ordinary student who couldn't eat the fruit and came back to his guru saying, "I didn't find the single place where no one is observing me". Guru asked why didn't you find any place. He told wherever I went I realized that the Parmatma(supersoul) is observing me. Guru was really very pleased with his answer and rewarded him for passing the test. There is no place in the world where God's eyes are no there, His one of the name is 'Jagatchakshu', one whose eyes are everywhere.

Lord calls Himself in Bhagavad Gita 13th chapter as 'Updrista' an overseer of everything. It's also said in Gita verse 13.14 that, "Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes and faces, and He hears everything". He is observing everything and everyone. As a Parmatma He is witnessing all our activities just like one bird observes another bird's activities(svetasvatar upanisad). Bible says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." One may escape from ordinary CCTV of this world but there is no possibility of escaping from Supreme Lord's CCTV(Cause of all Causes' tv), not only He sees our acts but also our thoughts.

Person does the crime when he is ensured enough that no one is watching him, When CCTV is there person automatically controls his bad tendencies, similarly When one realizes this cosmic CCTV of God which is infallible one will never commit crime, but the problem is that very few knows about this CCTV of God, so it's our job to convince and make people aware of God's CCTV so they will reform their thoughts and deeds, that will naturally reduce the crime.


Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Don't become Workaholic or Idle but make your work Holy and Ideal*

There are two kinds of extremist generally seen in society, one is workaholic( who works compulsively, enjoying his work more than anything) and other is idle( who doesn't want to work at all), off course hard working people are different from workaholics, there is wide gap between both hardworking and workaholics. Workaholics doesn't bother anything other than work including personal priorities and family issues, when work is not there they feel lonely and stressed, their mind is constantly at work even they are not.

 Whereas idle is lazy and don't want to work at all. Both cases are non exemplary for us because they don't fulfill the mission of human life that is to develop love for God, we are not only meant to work day and night or not doing any work but we are meant to do something substantial in life.

How to make our work holy and ideal? By not performing our duties for our own sense enjoyment but as an offering of love to Krishna, it should be an act of sacrifice. Lord Krishna in 3rd chapter of Bhagavad Gita says, "one who works only for his satisfaction his life is vain but who performs activities being unattached he attains the supreme. Work for our own sense pleasure will create bondage but work done for satisfaction of Lord will make work holy and one will get liberation from reactions." Many people think by reading Bhagavad Gita or following the God given process our inclination for our work will reduce and we will become idle but this is not a reality, after hearing Gita from Lord, Arjun didn't give up his bow and arrow and went to forest for austerities but he fought more diligently and tactfully because he realized this work is going to give pleasure to Lord. Lord also speaks no one can remain idle, everyone has to work at lest  for his body maintenance. After all Bhagavad Gita is not against our work but it teaches us in what attitude we should perform our work.

Lord Krishna speaks in 8th chapter, “Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kṛṣṇa and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.” Prabhupad explains in the purport that, "this instruction is for all humans, Lord doesn't recommend to give up the duties. One can continue them but at the same time remember Krishna, this will free one from material contamination."

So let's not become workaholic or idle but make our work holy and ideal by adding Krishna to our work and following the path of Bhakti.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Dare to choose Rare*

Most of the students choose a careers like Doctor, engineer, lawyer which are ever famous because so many students in past have already chosen this career option, it also gives guaranteed job after finishing the course( At least people still hope so), students don't want to go to the newer fields because not knowing the future involved in that field, they don't want to take a risk. Similarly with businessmen, they will invest their money where they have an experience of huge returns, they will invest where risk is minimal and where maximum people are putting their money. So we find this tendency in human society that a person follows the crowd, he feels if so many people are following this way then it must be right and I don't need to think separately. But following the crowd and general mass is not always right they may be going a wrong path.

Sometimes there is need of daring to do right activities which hardly anyone is performing, by seeing us performing these rare most activities people may think we are mad they will laugh at us. Smoking, gambling, indulging in illicit activities are so common and if you get involved in that it's considered as normal, on the other hand  sane and pure activities involving worshipping, going to temple, chanting holy mantras are considered to be abnormal and old fashioned in today's social norms, so one who is practicing good, noble, moral things he also starts feeling I am doing wrong because very few are following these things, and those who are doing immoral activities doing right because so many of them involved in that activity.

The number of pandavas as compared to kauravas was very less but they never thought let us join the irreligious party of kauravas. At last pandavas won the battle because they were always virtuous and always followed Krishna. Number of devotees will always be less but they will always be the victorious. Lord Krishna talks in Bhagavad Gita 7th chapter, "After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare." He also says hardly anyone(very rare soul) can understand Him in truth. So there won't be many who will be following the process of surrendering to God because as the age of Kali progresses people will become more and more irreligious, atheistic in nature and their interest for following the God will diminish. So we should not feel discouraged and doubt ourself for following the God given path but we must have faith in the words of God that after this material life eternal life is awaiting for us. And on this path there is no risk of failure also as told by lord in 2nd chapter, "even a small endeavor on this path will have a permanent effect", means guaranteed bright future with zero risk.

So let's not waste this rare human form of life in only doing common activities like eating, sleeping, mating, defending but also dare to choose path of Bhakti followed by rare most intelligent people of the world who knew the real purpose of the life. There were many who chose this rare path and became successful, Srimad Bhagavatam talks about their activities.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Suicide is not Justified*

I just heard the news about a young doctor committed suicide in front of Delhi metro because he failed in UPSC exams also one police officer shot himself dead with his revolver in Mumbai local yesterday. Its horrifying that there are about 800000 people commit suicide every year, there are several reasons why people commit suicide, some of them are financial problems, emotional problems, health problems, over expectations from parents etc., one will shock to know that 80% of the suicide victims were literate, higher than the national average literacy rate of 74% and they are committed in cities like chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai, there several organizations like WHO working to stop and reduce the people's inclination to commit suicide they have made some laws and governance but haven't yet got the required results, still people are attempting and committing suicide. 

One more reason why people attempt suicide is that they are unaware of their own real self. They feel I am this body and if this body is finished by some how or other I will be relieved from stress and tensions. But it's not the fact we are not this body we are eternal soul, body is just temporary covering, if we give up one body we will have to take another body, Bhagavad Gita gives the clear understanding of this fact in text 2.20 ,"For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.", so even if body is dead soul continues to exists. Soul is having 2 coverings of body over him, one body is subtle which is made up of mind, intelligence and ego, and another covering is gross body made up of earth, water, fire, air, eather, So when one commits suicide he destroys the gross body in which soul was residing, now soul don't have any gross body but has subtle body, Those who live in such subtle bodies are called ghosts. This ghostly position is very painful because a ghost has intelligence, mind and ego and wants to enjoy material life, but because he doesn’t have a gross material body he can't enjoy, and people are unaware of this simple facts although they are highly learned. We don't have any right to destroy God given facility in the form of body.

I know one gentleman who was going to railway track to jump in front of the running train but he overheard the song saying ," let's go to that place which is free from all problems of life, no sadness and miseries exist there, but only exist a love and satisfaction". He was amazed by this song and started searching for such a place and eventually he came to Krishna temple where he started reading Gita and realized, yes, there exists a place which is free from all enxieties and miseries of this world( Vaikunth) and he also learned this human life is meant to attain that eternal place of love and happiness.

So let's not take problems and traumas, so serious, there will be so many opportunities to become successful, understand that this life is not all and all but we have an eternal life with our eternal father( Lord Krishna) and this current life is meant to attain the qualification to reach that place where eternal happiness is waiting for us.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga dasa  

*Seek a friend'SHIP' which will never sink*

Many people including me like to be alone but not permanently, everyone seek for someone who will talk with him, care for him and share love and affection with him, this is the nature of God(Krishna) originally and that's why we always find Him with His associates, His cows, gopas, gopis etc. but we find perverted reflection of spiritual relationships in this world, in spiritual world everyone wants to please God but here everyone seeks his own pleasure everywhere including in relationships. I remember when I was in primary school I had few intimate friends, but when I departed for secondary school they left me and I had different kind of friends, then in college life different friends, and I realized that actually I don't have real friend even a single, their friendship with me was only circumstantial  and that was only till there was a need of assignments and books.

The definition of a friend has changed in today’s technologically connected world. Today we may think we have many “friends.” It is true, we do enjoy the ability to be informed and to stay current with what is happening in the lives of many of our acquaintances as well as current and former friends and even people we have not met personally whom we call our friends. In the context of social media, the term “friend” is often used to describe contacts rather than relationships. You have the ability to send your “friends” a message, but this is not the same thing as having a relationship with a person one on one.

A true friendship doesn't last till the end of this life but remains till eternity. We find essence of true friendship in our scriptures and most famous example is of Lord Krishna and Sudama. When both were studying at Sandipani Muni's hermitage, they were sent to bring the firewood, when both went to the forest suddenly there was a storm, heavy rains and forest was covered with darkness but both didn't leave each other as well as their service to their guru Sandipani. So goal of real friendship is to co-operate with each other for higher responsibilities keeping aside our individual ego, pains and pleasures. Real friend turns up to us when whole world turns away from us, when Draupadi was being disrobed in the assembly of Kurus, when everyone turned away from her including her 5 husbands, Lord Krishna came to rescue her.

All other bodily and material relationships will surely embarrass us one day, but there is spiritual relationship with God which won't disappoint us because He is the one who knows our heart and it's needs truly and fully being most closest to us, He himself says in Gita, "suhridam sarva bhutanam, I am the best friend of all living entities".  So there is only need to accept Krishna as our friend and follow His words to experience His unlimited love and utmost care.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Das

The best SIP plan which can give you maximum returns for long time

A Systematic Investment Plan or SIP is a smart and hassle free mode for investing money in mutual funds. SIP allows you to invest a certain pre-determined amount at a regular interval (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.). A SIP is a planned approach towards investments and helps you inculcate the habit of saving and building wealth for the future. You can get maximum benefits when the investments are for long term also diversifying investments in different schemes can increase the returns.

But after all these plans ends up when one dies or leaves this world, these plans can't help person in their next life offering them money and other benefits which was accumulated in the past life. So nature of these plans are temporary. Hiranyakashipu and Ravana had much more beneficial plans than provided by today's investment companies because they got benedictions directly from powerful demigods like Lord Shiva and Lord Brāhma to become immortal but they also had to accept the defeat and all their all plans failed. So what's the best SIP? Best SIP is "Spiritually Inclined Practices", start investing in this SIP to get maximum returns for eternity.

Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita text 2.40 speaks about nature of these spiritually inclined practices(endeavor), "In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear." Prabhupad's brilliant purport explains that material activities can give results in this life time only, but even 1% of activity done in Krishna consciousness remains eternally, and even in next life person can start Bhakti from wherever he had left in past life, there are so many evidences of this, King Bharat, Ajamil, Gajendra who could not achieve the benefits of plans in their one life but they could achieve 100% benefits in their next lifetimes, they didn't started the scheme from initial stage again but they started from wherever they had left in past lives.

This SIP includes nine special schemes, starting with Hearing, chanting, then remembering, serving Lord's lotus feet, deity worship, praying, executing orders of Lord, serving Lord as a friend and surrendering completely, but hearing and chanting the glories of holy name giving maximum returns in this age of Kali according to Bhagavatam and investment procedure is also vey very simple.

So let's invest in this SIP, Dhruva and Prahlad started SIP when they were very young and what benefit they got whole world knows, as early you start you get more benefits, so start your SIP soon.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Do you take 'Vitamin P' daily?*

Vitamins are substances that your body needs to grow and develop normally. There are 13 vitamins your body needs. Each vitamin has specific jobs. If you have low levels of certain vitamins, you may get health problems. For example, if you don't get enough vitamin C, you could become anemic. Some vitamins may help prevent medical problems. Vitamin A prevents night blindness. The best way to get enough vitamins is to eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods. In some cases, you may need to take vitamin supplements. It's a good idea to ask your health care provider first.

Now you must be thinking what is this vitamin 'P', but I can tell you all other vitamins, proteins and fats nourishes your body but vitamin 'P' nourishes our real self, the soul, any guess what's this vitamin P?, no, P stands for Prayers, which is the most important thing required for nourishment of soul, by praying to Lord one keeps oneself in contact with Lord. We shouldn't doubt the power of prayers ever. There was a poor lady in one village, once she approached a grocer and requested him to give some grocery on credit but grocer refused to give grocery, at last to make fun of her he said, "I am ready to give you grocery but on one condition, put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries." She, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale, The eyes of the grocer and the other customers showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down. He was putting grocery one after the other but still simple paper was weighing high. The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list. It was a prayer which said:"Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands".  Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs. We can't judge a prayerful heart.

Some people asks why we need to pray if God knows our heart? A doctor can also understand our bodily conditions just by looking at it but if patient explains he can treat better also talking helps in establishing relationship, similarly when we pray God can heal us and help us more nicely. The power of prayers can not be explained but it can be experienced. Lord Krishna also explains in 9th chapter of B.G. that, "Those who worship me with exclusive devotion I protect why they have and provide what they lack." When we work we work but when we pray God helps us to work.

So let's start taking dose of Vitamin P daily and at every moment because it's a most fastest thing on earth, it's said, "when prayer becomes your habit miracles becomes your lifestyle".

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Appreciation goes on Depreciation*

We are living in a world where good qualities are slowly diminishing, and one of that quality which is reducing in all humans is to appreciate someone. Once Mother Teresa quoted, "There is a more hunger in the world for love and appreciation than for a bread". Appreciating the other person for whatever he has done for us has become so rare now a days, once one young boy went for an interview and passed all the rounds at final round he was asked," did you get any scholarship for your education", he said, " no, my single mother managed to pay all my fees till graduation", they asked, "what job your mother does?", he said,"My mother works as clothes cleaner". The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect, director realized that this young boy has never helped mother, he asked him to go to home and massage mother's hand and come tomorrow. He was surprised why director is asking me to do such thing, but he followed and came home to massage mother's hands, he could not believe his eyes that  his mother’s hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands, Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water, there were tears in his eyes, he realized mother's sacrifice for him and appreciated her.

If one doesn’t understand and experience the difficulty it takes to earn the comfort provided by their loved ones, then they will never value it. Similarly there are so many in this world who are helping us in so many ways and we forget to be grateful to them because we don't understand what struggles they go through to make us comfortable, we must learn to appreciate what we have else time will force us to appreciate what we had. Not appreciating is symptom of ungrateful heart. Appreciation also encourages person to continue on his service with enthusiasm, someone has said well, " Appreciation is person's greatest emotional need". We must be grateful to Supreme Lord also and appreciate His mercy on us, Srila Prabhupad says, "Ungrateful persons are those who do not understand how much benefit they are deriving by the arrangement of the Lord. They enjoy the sunshine and moonshine, and they get water free of charge, yet they do not feel grateful, but simply go on enjoying these gifts of the Lord. Therefore, they must be called thieves and rogues."

So let's be grateful to all and appreciate their love for us, and if you really appreciate someone don't just say it but show it.

Article by Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

*Remember the Gita with acronyms - 1st chapter : Observing the Armies*

Acronym - *DAMODAR*

D - Dhritrastra's questions to Sanjaya, and Diplomacy of Duryodhana(1-3)

A - allied kings' description of both the parties(4-13)

M - Madhava - 1st time krsna is addressed in Bhagavad gita as Madhava (14)

O- orchestrated battle - victory signs like blowing of conch shells, specific names of conch shells, kapidhvaja, Chariot of Arjuna shows  everything was already orchestrated by Krsna's will (15-20)

D- drawing of chariot of Arjuna in between the battlefield and thus Arjuna observes everything and gets bewildered(21-22)

A - armies of both parties bewilders Arjuna (23-27)
acceptance of inability to fight of Arjuna by showing symptoms like limbs of body quivering and mouth drying up, body trembling ,gandiva is slipping from hand and skin is burning. (28-35)

R - reasons for not to fight - such as crime in destroying family tradition due to that family will get involved in sins , women will become polluted - varnasankara and at last people will go to hell because of no oblations.(36-46)

Acronyms by Rupesh Gauranga dasa

*7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE BACE RESIDENT*

I have just compiled the thoughts to remain enthusiastic and happy for whatever period we will be staying in BACE

*1)A—they have attentive morning program* ,includes japa, mangal aarti and s.b. class-key of spiritual life

*They know Attachment to k.c.process* will reduce attachment to maya

*They have attitude of service*

*2)B-- best time to read books* –they know its a best time to read books and sharpen our intelligence,they don’t give any reasons for not studying s.p. books

*They try to make good Bonding* with other bace residents

*3)C-- caring for others* not only thinking of oneself eg u can get prasadam for your bacemate,  if he is sick taking nice care,many devotees leave bace because they feel they r not care for.

*They don’t have any Controlling mentality*

*They always clarify doubt* about philosophy, process or devotees with someone superior

*They avoid correcting others unnecessarily*

*They r always ready for cooperation*

*They don’t come to conclusion* immediately

*4)D-- they try to develop taste for atleast one service* or one thing in k.c. it may be hearing chanting or attachment to Prasad, taste in deity worship saves from sense enjoyment because spirit of I am not the enjoyer is developed when one engages in deity worship

*They Don’t judge* on external basis u don’t know from what that  particular devotee is going through

*They have determination* to practice

*5)E-- they are always eager for service*(like cooking is best ways to earn blessings) and due to that they earn blessing.

They r always *enthusiastic and by that they enthuse others too...*

*6)F-- focused on material as well as spiritual studies*,they wont say because of bace my career is spoiled

*Friendship*-they have deepfriendship atleast with one or two devotees in bace , not having good friendship is one main reason to leave bace , they are having fun with these friends so they won’t have any desires to have fun with any materialistic friend

*7)G--goal* is clear and that is satisfaction of krsna no alternative or individual, personal agenda ,opinions can be different  to serve  but goal is one, their goal is never personal enjoyments


Article by Rupesh Gauranga Das