“Mother Yashoda told Krishna, “Today is your birthday, therefore be
pure and give cows in charity…..” (Srimad Bhagavatam- 10.11.18)
There was mischief as he jumped up. “I’ll celebrate my birthday this
Sunday”, said a beaming Madan Gopal Prabhu. I was amused. He is
nearing fifty years of age and his child-like enthusiasm to celebrate
his birthday sparked my curiosity.
I then…
“I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But
whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and
I am also a friend to him.” - Bhagavad Gita (9.29)
Rukmini’s reasoning was: “if this rice is satisfying my husband so
much, this must indeed be most special.…
“Who am I? A sinful, poor man. And who is Krishna? The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, full in six opulences. Nonetheless, He has
embraced me with His two arms.” - Sudama’s prayer in Srimad
Bhagavatam (10.81.16)
Srila prabhupada writes in srimad bhagavatam purport to 1.15.19: “the
Lord relishes the reproaches of friends, parents or fiancees more than
the vedic hymns offered…
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or
water, I will accept it.” - Bhagavad Gita (9.26)
At the second level- level 2- are those who believe in God and follow
rituals, procedures or religious strictures. They are aware of God’s
position and the need to serve him and connect with him.…
“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is
directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on
a machine, made of the material energy.”
- Bhagavad Gita (18.61)
We can’t imitate the pure devotees of Krishna and yet we are not
atheists. We have faith in God but we doubt often; we remember…
To handle suffering well we need to discipline our spiritual life. When we have a regulated life and we chant, hear and study scriptures, we get nourished and we are also directed by a superior intelligence to see our suffering maturely. How to discipline Bhakti? For young starters we have a morning program that Srila…
Like Prahalad we need to accept inconvenience of suffering. We can’t circumvent this rule if we want to make any tangible advancement. Of course, our tests and challenges will be much smaller, but they will for sure demand we abandon our goal of ‘relief’ or ‘peace’. We are expected sooner or later to live for…
The Prahalad- Narasimhadev pastimes teaches us, besides other lessons, the reality of suffering and pain. Just like Prahalad was tortured by his own father, often it’s our near and dear ones that bring pain to our lives. Prahalad exemplifies forgiveness and compassion at the highest level. Although we can’t imitate Prahalad’s mood, we can reflect…
Shurpanaka, the sister of Ravana, created ruckus in Ravana’s assembly. She wailed, rolled on the ground, beat her chest and chastised her brother repeatedly for not protecting his citizens and under his very nose, her nose was cut!. She expertly adjusted the truth of her being mutilated by Lakshman, under Ram’s order. She had tried…
Ram had come to exile with his wife Sita, said Akampana. She has unparalleled beauty and Ram loves her madly. If Ravana were to somehow seperate Ram from his beloved consort, He may die in agony, or at least surely, he’d become weak, after which Ram could be easily quelled in battle. Ravana liked the…
Ram’s fierce fighting stunned the Rakshasas- He killed 14,000 of them, including the fiercest trio of Trishira, Dushana and Khara. None of them had ever faced defeat in a battle but in just over two hours, Ram annihilated the entire garrison stationed at Janasthan by Ravana. While the thousands attacked from all sides, Ram released…
Enjoying the pleasant evening breeze on the terrace of our ancestral house, we sat in silence. Occasionally my mother spoke about a squirrel that rushed through the trunk of a tree or her eyes lit up seeing a peacock. But otherwise she seemed to have nothing more to say. Again a few minutes later, she…