Are you postponing your happiness?

What is the first thought that comes to our mind when someone asks "When will you be happy?"

If our answers are more or less similar to these:  "When I pass my exams, I'll be happy" "when I get promotion", "when I lose my weight", "when I get married", "when I travel Overseas", "when I eat such kind of food", "when I meet my friends", "If I could be rich, I will be happy", "If I have a good job", " when I have a villa", "If I can attain this, I will be happy", "when I get that, I will be happy", etc...  Or our statements contains the conditions "If and when" then many of us are victims of 'if' and 'when' syndrome. We are simply postponing our happiness and constantly thinking, planning or waiting for the magical future. Even if we fulfil such desires they will be short-lived. Absorbed in making plans of the future happiness, we completely forget about present, which is in our hands right now. Rather than relishing present to its full capacity, we simply waste it by building castles in the air.

If we carefully observe the above answers, most of the answers are dependent on either things or somebody. Happiness exists neither in the things nor in other people. Happiness is our personal choice and it completely depends upon us. When we want to be happy, we can do it without being dependent on others. Happiness is our choice, 

we have the complete right to experience it at the moment. The more we try to find pleasures from outside or in others, the more we become miserable and frustrated. 

"Anandomayo abhyasat" we are all meant to experience happiness, but we have completely forgotten where to seek for that Happiness and what is that real Happiness. While running after false and temporary pleasures of this world, we have lost our contact with our eternal pleasure giving God, Sri Krishna. Vedic scriptures describe Krishna to be "satchidananda vigraha", the embodiment of Eternal Knowledge and Bliss. Lord Krishna is eager to share His Bliss with all of us. Bliss is even far superior than Happiness. When we come in contact with Him by different means such as chanting His Holy Names, worshipping Him, reading about Him; we can surpass the temporary happiness and can experience real pleasure within. When we start experiencing such purest and highest Bliss at all the times, we naturally stop searching for pleasures of this world, understanding its true nature. Then we situate ourselves in a state where external conditions no more affects our "Happiness".

The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places, don't stop continue your journey

Suppose you are driving a car to reach specific destination urgently but you see wonderful parking spaces which you haven't seen before. You park your car and take rest forgetting urgency of your travel. Now the result will be you don't reach your destination within required time also you end up losing precious time and energy.

Similarly when spiritual aspirant is progressing on his spiritual path to reach supreme destination many times he gets allured by verities of temptations which he has neither seen nor experienced before. He may think let me experience some of these and then I will continue my sojourn again with full vigour. But that's where illusion traps him. These allurements presented by illusory potency are entangling and not easy to overcome.

Gita describes rarity of human birth and it's ideal purpose which is to attain love of godhead but unless one is determined and focused on his goal he may get blown away. Saubhari muni's example reminds us of this fact that even if you are serious and advanced practitioner you will be tested time again and again. Thus it becomes necessary to keep reminding ourselves of that goal by regularly reading and hearing of scriptures which actually eradicates dullness of our intelligence and provides clear vision. Lord also talked about taking shelter of him exclusively if we want to surpass his illusory energy. When one understands the speciality and supremacy of spiritual destination he can be inspired to attain that surpassing all kinds of distractions on his path. 

Economising our thoughts

Imagine you go to a mall to purchase a thing but end up buying more number of things than expected and mostly the things which are not needed too. We all might have faced this scenario. What will happen?, as a result we will shell out more money and cram our house with things which we actually have no use for. Now we are in a predicament whether to have them or discard them. We do not want to discard them because we have invested our hard earned money and we can neither keep them because it requires more time and energy to maintain them. Hence it's always better to think twice before purchasing any item to avoid regrets.

Similar things happen within us at every single moment. We invest and spend so much of our time & mental energy on contemplating  unnecessary thoughts which doesn't help us in any way, rather we are drowned in those thoughts. Just as any physical activity requires energy, so does mental activities too, sometimes they require even more. These thoughts of selfishness, hatred, envy towards others, superiority complex, egotism drains us completely. Many a times, we identify ourselves with these thoughts so much that it becomes difficult to give them up completely. Constant contemplation on such thoughts occupy a lot of room in our mind restricting the growth of our healthy and positive thoughts.

When we sit quietly and meditate, we realize that the mind is just chattering unrestrictedly, roaming here and there, everywhere, unlimited thoughts just come and go through the mind in a day. That's why Lord krishna in Gita has emphasized so much on the thoughts which we invest upon(BG 6.5-6). A single unregulated thought can put us into most abominable circumstances, a single thought at the time of death decides our future birth, a single thought can become cause of our spiritual fall or rise. Thus we need to keep track of our mind & it's thoughts.

We have to channel our mental energy into the things which actually benefit us, elevate us and take us closer to the God. It is better to examine our thoughts regularly in order to immediately expel unimportant, sadistic, unrealistic and anxious thoughts from the mind. The same space can be filled with more creative, positive & constructive thoughts. And for one who does that experiences immense bliss and satisfaction in this life (BG6.7). In conclusion we all have a choice of either to thinking about things which are going to help us or drain us.

Ordinariness of an extraordinary

Janmashtami is the special occasion when the immortal lord Sri Krishna appears in the mortal world for several reasons. Actually occasion, place, reasons doesn't bind him or forces him to take birth here, he appears by his own sweet will, primarily to reciprocate with his loving devotees. Although extraordinary in all the aspects he becomes and behaves as ordinary human being and pleases his parents, friends, relatives and so on by his simple and heart touching acts. Being transcendental to the laws of this world he can just transgress them but to set good example and teach amazing lessons he acts humanly and shows his highly unusual powers only when it is extremely needed.

We can just meditate on his various pastimes to understand this. If he wished he could have killed Kamsa and other demons by his potency without taking birth through the womb of Devki but He appeared in the jail and that too also in the mid-night when everyone was in slumber of deep sleep, no one except demigods knew that he is born, such a simplicity. He asked his father Vasudev to carry him to Gokul and replace him with baby girl who was born to Yashoda, for that he travelled in the basket. In Gokul Vrindavan he lived a life of a simple cowherd boy who cherished to play with cows, his other cowherd friends, not only played but got defeated by them several times. He wasn't attracted by the well versed Brahmanas but by their wives who offered him simple fruits. He is simple for those who are simple and complicated to those who are complicated. He danced on the instructions of the gopis, he stole their clothes, their butter and their hearts by his simplicity filled with divinity.

His pastimes doesn't end with this but continues in Mathura and in Dwarka too. After killing Kamsa and others, he restored Ugrasena as the king, later he accepted Sandipani as his guru and humbly learned from him not only that but he offered gurudakshina as a token of reciprocation. Later He kidnapped Rukmini and other queens by defeating other envious kings, he worshipped sudama, Narda and several other rishis and Brahmanas regularly in the Dwarka. Although the most powerful of all He took part in the most important war of history as a chariot driver of Arjuna.

Through these various Lilas we see that the Krishna although being phenomenal and exceptional, he is filled with simplicity. Simple, ordinary and genuine things when offered with devotion please him the most we can see this when He asks for a leaf, fruit, water and flower from his devotees. Although full with divinity Lord also lived a life of practicality to set an example in front of ordinary people like us who sometimes simply believes in divinity forgetting the endeavour is also a inseparable part of successful spiritual life.

Are you ready for GST?

Tax is a financial charge imposed upon an individual by the government in order to fund various public expenditures. Some of these include expenditures on economic infrastructure (roads, public transportation, sanitation, legal systems, public safety, education, health-care systems), military, scientific research, culture and the arts, public works, distribution, data collection and dissemination, public insurance, and the operation of government itself. So there are different types of taxes such as commercial tax, food tax, entertainment tax etc. levied to recover money. And from today the GST taxation laws will put an end to multiple taxes which are levied on different products, starting from the source of manufacturing to reaching the end consumer.

In short we need to pay money for using systems, facilities and services provided by the government in the form of tax and if we avoid or neglect it then we become criminals according to the law. If we analyse and observe closely we will find that actually it is the nature through its cosmic management provides us all the essentials in the form of earth, water(rains), air, sun and moon rays, oceans, trees etc to maintain and sustain our lives on this planet. But it's surprising to know that we have hardly ever bothered to pay the taxes to that universal governance which is incessantly providing us with all those basic things from time immemorial.

Scriptures explain us that universal management is done by the demigods who are empowered servants of the supreme God Krishna thus We are indebted to them. In order to clear that debt, to live happily in this world and in the next world scriptures asks us to perform sacrifices for their pleasure which is similar to paying different taxes(3.10). Just like for a smooth governance there has to be a cooperation between government and citizens similarly to gain prosperity in human society there has to be a constant cooperation between a man and the demigods(3.11). We are not only liable to the demigods but also to the sages or teachers who give us the knowledge, we are liable to our parents who gave us the birth, we are liable to society that has facilitated our upbringing and to the so many others. One who avoids to repay these obligations in the form of verities of sacrifices is considered as a thief(3.12).

But the question may arise that if we are indebted to so many then how much time it will take to please everyone and nullify everyone's debt? Just like GST includes all the other taxes within it similarly when one engages in the service of Krishna, he need not to bother about so many other obligations. Loving service to Krishna includes service to everyone, he is like a root of the giant tree, when one waters the root of the tree every part of the tree is nourished. GST may or may not be beneficial for people in general but sacrifices performed as a loving offering to Krishna such as sankirtana yajna will surely bring fortune in the society. Pleasing Krishna is not at all a difficult task, even a bagger can do that. Krishna asks for minimum things like a leave, a flower, a fruit and the water in return from his devotees(9.26). In conclusion just like a lawful civilian pays his taxes to the government dutifully similarly one must understand the contribution of Lord Krishna in our lives from millions of birth and engage in his devotional service (may not be lovingly at initial stage but at least) dutifully.

Bhakti toughens the skin and softens the heart

It's a general misunderstanding that spirituality is something esoteric  with its unattainable, theoretical, impractical and only imaginary results. But from the point of view of those who have rigorously practiced it in their lives concludes that Bhakti is the most practical method with its immense attainable benefits, even an ordinary neophyte practitioner can see and experience some of these. These outcomes are extraordinary, substantial and more valuable than superficial and temporary material experiences.

Sincere practitioner begins his journey gradually from a relative to the absolute world by following the words of scriptures and realised souls thus start setting up the connection with supreme reality, Krishna. He understands and fulfils his material as well as spiritual responsibilities without getting affected by challenges realising the world is filled with dualities. Just like thick objects absorb the impact of striking hammer(toughness) similarly his skin gets tougher in the sense that he becomes indifferent when he is ignored, praised or blasphemed, respected or insulted or criticised or even physically assaulted etc. He continues to be concerned with carrying out his duties for upliftment of everyone without getting least bothered about reversals.

Although his skin gets toughened but his the heart is softened. He becomes sensitive in dealing with others, he makes sure that he is not disturbing or agitating or troubling others. He feels pain for others because he realises that on the spiritual plane we all are brothers and sisters, we have very close relationship with each other. Due to his compassionate nature he want to benefit everyone eternally. He eagerly shares his fortune of being krishna conscious with others because he knows the ultimate reason for their misery is lack of knowledge of krishna and forgetfulness of his relationship with them.

Scriptures gives us innumerable examples of such souls who have actually executed these qualities, Jesus is one of the example. People were criticising him, cursing him not only that but he was crucified (toughness) for preaching god consciousness amongst them but he kept wishing well for everyone without having a tinge of grudge in his heart (softness). In conclusion Bhakti gives us the direct higher experience which helps us to tolerate short material miseries and empowers us to share the joy of practicing it with others.

Before you go high, go deep

Just imagine an architect making a beautiful building without bothering much about its foundation. What will happen? Such a construction won't survive even a smaller natural calamities what to say of storms, earthquakes and floods, therefore foundation plays a major part than aesthetics of building. A properly-built foundation could sustain the wrath of a natural phenomenon at a much higher level and remain safe for the people inside it. Just because foundation is unseen we can't ignore its importance.

Similarly when it comes to a building of a life we care much about our goals and externals, our looks or aesthetics appearances than our foundations which are based upon core values and spirituality. Just like the nature life is also not smooth it's filled with many upheavals, it tries to knocks us down by various challenges and if we are not grounded well within then we may collapse (psychophysically and emotionally) like a building constructed by an immature engineer.

More the height of a building more deep it is within the earth. So if we want to attain the heights of success our life should be based on strong spiritual principles which act like a foundation. Lord krishna in several verses of Gita gives the characteristics of a person who is well established in his spiritual understanding. Such a person realises the real nature of problem thus remains fixed up in his duties in the midst of the difficulties, because he is fixed in knowledge he neither gets elated nor gets disturbed but maintains equal attitude towards good and bad situations(BG 2.56-57). Just like a Foundation transfers load to ground similarly when we are loaded heavily with disturbances, tensions, agitations etc spirituality can help us to unload or to bear all those things.

In conclusion, when it comes to building projects, the foundation is the most important work and the basis of everything that comes after. It should not be taken for granted. Similarly Life is much more precious and rare than any project if it is not well built on strong spiritual foundation one may suffer from occasional collapses in various ways. Thus we must fold our life in a way to include spiritual practices like reading, hearing scriptures and chanting, in it to make foundation more deeper and stronger.

Leap of faith or leak of faith

“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” — Thomas Aquinas

Faith is an essential element in life, just like an air or oxygen is for the body similarly faith nourishes the heart. Faith isn’t just a notion that some people hold onto in tough times but we need it in all parts of our lives. We couldn’t drive our cars without faith that someone wouldn’t cross the divider and crash into us. If we didn’t have faith, how could we fly in an airplane, a metallic machine flying 35,000 feet high in the air? Without faith, how can we marry and decide to stay together for a lifetime with a person who has just met a few times before? A leap of faith, in its most commonly used meaning, is the act of believing in or accepting something outside of the boundaries of reason.

Similarly, faith is the root of Bhakti. Bhagavad Gita(9.3) explains, "those who are not faithful to the devotional service won't achieve Krishna." Faith goes beyond the logic, reasoning, and explanations. One who is always suspicious can't lead a happy life either materially or spiritually, “For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next(BG 4.40)." A devotee has explicit faith that the Lord will protect him in every circumstance thus he keeps taking leaps of faith for service and mission of the Lord.

In the case of neophyte devotees when things go in their way they feel elated and joyful which increases their faith in Krishna but sometimes, when things don’t go according to plan, they tend to lose faith, not only in themselves but also in any potential outcome in their lives and in omnipotent God. Failure will do that to us unless we are deep rooted in spiritual understanding based on scriptures and teachings of saintly beings. When we experience life’s monumental failures, it’s easy to lose hope and faith in God and start doubting his abilities this is a time when our faith starts leaking out.

Despite having troubles in life to continue with one's faith in Bhakti process is a remarkable thing, in fact, such troubles deepen one's faith. It requires a significant leap of faith to believe that we can succeed where so many others have failed. Our scriptures give plenty of examples of such fixed up devotees like Dhruva, Prahlad, Parikshit, Kunti, Draupadi etc. who were amidst problems and dangers but continued to serve and to have faith in Krishna. They didn't get distracted by temporary upheavals, such devotees are determined to execute teaching and instructions of the lord in favorable or unfavorable situations. We see in the life of Prabhupada also that he had to face so many reversals and challenges to establish worldwide Krishna conscious society. It was a struggle but he did that without questioning Krishna and now we can see the fruits of that faith which has expanded into thousands of temples and millions of followers all over the globe.

In conclusion, when we go through situations when our faith gets challenged or weakened we must observe and study the lifestyle of great devotees who had put their faith explicitly in the mercy of Lord and continued their devotional service during bad times.

By Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

Those who always look for material security remain spiritually unsecured

Many people postpone their surrender to Krishna until they feel materially secured enough. They think when everything gets settled nicely, when we earn enough bank balance, when we complete all our material responsibilities then we will surrender, then we can practice bhakti and devote our time and energy to the God. But actually this feeling of security never comes, even it comes hopes and hankering for more security keep on arising in the heart.

Material securities are not only temporary but lead to miseries

However secured we may materially be but it's all transient. Greed for security never stops and even it stops the desire to enjoy those securities can arise in the heart. Then mind starts hovering over material opulence gained from such securities(BG16.13). In such situations, it becomes extremely difficult to practice bhakti(BG 2.44). More the securities more the attachments and anxieties till the time of death(BG16.11). Also, there is a danger that those who are secured enough may become proud of their abilities and refuse their surrender to Krishna by denying his existence thus bound by networks of illusions and immersed in unreal enjoyment they lead their path to hell(BG16.16).

Krishna provides both material and spiritual securities 

By the practice of bhakti yoga, one comes to the understanding of his real eternal nature and Lord's benevolence thus he doesn't get too much obsessed for material securities and desires. He knows that Krishna takes care of his surrendered soul by providing whatever devotee lacks and protecting whatever devotee has(BG9.22). He takes care of them by placing them under his divine energy(BG9.13). And while practicing Bhakti even someone fails to attain Krishna in this life or the next he is never overcome by evil either materially or spiritually (BG6.40)- means he is secured in both circumstances. 

Interestingly Krishna doesn't ask us to give up all our material aspirations and duties but asks us to use them intelligently in his service without being attached to their yields, that's bhakti yoga, that leads to elevation(BG 8.7). In conclusion rather than proroguing bhakti for some insignificant material benefits and reasons, one should start bhakti yoga from his very position by including Krishna in all aspects all his life and considering unlimited eternal spiritual gains of practicing it.

By Rupesh Gauranga Dasa

Life beyond Facebook likes

Our day starts with checking emails, what's app messages and most importantly Facebook notifications. We are eager to see how many likes our post have received. When there are many likes we feel elated but it's a painful to see our post lingering overnight on the timeline with a handful of likes. We feel dejected as if nobody cares for us, nobody wants to listen what We want to say, no one values us, we feel worthless, ignored and embarrassed. Not only that but we experience jealousy in the heart when others get more likes than us.

We have become so shallow that we define our value, success based on Facebook likes and others' opinions for us. Rather than thinking what likes us, what inspires us and following that with whole heart we start putting emphasis on what others think of us, what others like etc. The lack of likes is not necessarily a projection of how liked we are personally, or whether or not we are good enough. We must work on this wrong tendency of comparing ourselves with others based on some externals.

Start liking ourselves:
We have to understand that we all are different in the way we think, feel and do things. Everyone is endowed with unique potential. We must find out that unique nature of ours and work on that to improve and upgrade it. Each one of us is different with different success parameters, so it's better to compete with our self than with others. Make decisions that reflect our true self. Express who we really are, without being overwhelmed with the joy of acceptance and the fear of rejection.

Stop hankering for likes:
Even if we get likes after few days again we will desire for it and if we don't get that we will be miserable, better stop hankering for it. Let not externals affect our internal emotions, desires, mindset etc. Keep our inner world intact by not depending upon others' perspective about us. When we are satisfied within we won't hanker for appreciation through any means, we will be happy contributing in an efficient way.

It's not only with the Facebook but in life's journey also we are so dependent on others' outlook about us. We must go beyond likes and dislikes and find out the solid purpose to live with and continue doing it enthusiastically despite being recognized or ignored by others. Ups and downs will keep coming in lives through various means, dealing with them on the basis of deep spiritual foundation can protect us from all crisis.

By Rupesh Gauranga Dasa