When things are going smooth, we might be performing our prescribed duties as well as devotional activities in a peaceful manner. But the real test lies in how we react when distressful events happen in one's life.
Material desires in the mind are the trash of material contamination. By such contamination, the living being is faced with so many compatible and incompatible things that discourage the very existence of spiritual identity.
Krsna states in the above quoted verse that those who reject Bhagavad-gita as authoritycannot have any connection with Him, and because they have no relation to Him, they remainin the cycle of birth and death.
It's unfortunately a symptom of Kali yuga to get caught up finding faults in others at least in the mind. Actually we should find the good in others and the faults in ourselves. The first offense which one has to avoid while chanting the Holy Name is, "To blaspheme the devotee who have dedicated their lives in propagating the Holy Names of the Lord ."
Exhaustive guidance is available in the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam 9th Canto chapter 3, wherein the King Saryati has to give his young beautiful daughter in charity to a sage, Cyavana Muni, who is advanced in age, in order to escape from the danger of being cursed
In the Sixth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, chapter five, we find that the sons of Prajapati Daksa, known as Haryasvas, were engaging themselves in austerities to create more and more population as per the orders of their father.
When we surrender ourselves to Krsna, He nicely takes care of us, since we are His offsprings. We always like to be cared for or looked after lovingly by others. In this verse Krsna gives this assurance to Brahmaji that He is always taking care of his offsprings.
The following is a nice pastime illustrating the deep compassion of Srila Prabhupada who has showed to us by his personal example what sama-darshinah means. This is an extract from the book 'The 1008 Ways to Remember Srila Prabhupada" by Govinda dasi mathaji .
In our normal day to day life, we meet different living entities in different modes and depending upon time, place and circumstances and our past activities we are tend to face some sort of miseries due to others.
Recently we witnessed a large scale of calamity happening around us(Tsunami) and most recently in an unfortunate way one young devotee of Abu Dhabi passed away in a tragic accident in India leaving behind his parents who are sincere and dedicated devotees.
Once there was a materialistic person named Charu Datta who was under the shelter of guru but was not serious to know the Absolute truth. Always he use to wait for gurus instructions and use to give his mental speculations. The guru was aware of all this but he did not say anything.
God is absolute and everything in relation with Him is of the same absolute nature. Therefore He and His name are one and the same. When you chant the name "Krishna" you are directly associating with the Supreme Personality Godhead.
Last month I had the good fortune to visit Dwarka and Rajkot and meet H.H. MahaVishnu Goswami Maharaj ji! It was one of the most relishable, enjoyable and memorable experience in my life. I wish I had gone there with some service mentality.
We find a nice Biblical equivalent for this verse, "Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you".These things become very clear as soon as we realise the "real" purpose of our life. Then we will never engage ourselves in causing troubles to others nor would we spend time dwelling our thoughts and energy on the troubles caused by others.
A list of the anomalies for this age is given in the Twelfth Canto (SB 12.2.1-16) where Sukadeva Gosvami instructs Maharaja Parikshit. Let us see what is in store for those who say that there is no need for self-realization and life is only meant to eat, sleep and be merry
It is really startling to think over this powerful point. Up until now, if we reminisce over our past, there are so many things, activities, entities, persons etc which came in our way only to disappear into oblivion in due course of time.
In this world we are always discouraged from remembering death. Remembering death is usually condemned and considered inauspicious. But the inner reality is the fear of death that beckons us of the danger of material enjoyment and consequently prevents us from that enjoyment.
The following is a simple but noteworthy incident narrated by H G Bhurijana prabhu (a disciple of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada), in his book, "My Glorious Master" in which he shares wonderful realizations of his association with His Divine Grace.
Last month on 25 Jan 05, I had to rush to Calgary to attend the burial ceremony of my younger brother's first baby boy, Gopal, whowas just 10 ten days old and died all of a sudden without any illness.
Once there was a poor boy named Dharma Sethu who was seriously inquisitive to find the Absolute truth. So he approached a spiritual master. By his submission and service, he won the heart of the spiritual master. The other disciples became very much envious of him
Prabhupada received an invitation to Chief Justice Vira Swami's home. The two became friends, and the chief justice requested to join the Krsna consciousness movement as soon as possible. He liked Prabhupada's followers, especially three-year-old Sarasvati, and gave her a six-inch silver murti of Krsna playing the flute.
Today I found a wonderful piece of explanation by Srila Prabhupada to a question by a Japanese Gentleman on how can we see God in this world. The explanation was simple and practical to the core and even a child can understand it. On reading it I could understand why Srila Prabhupada was so successful in his preaching.
So the best way to understand the mysteries of Krsna is to preach His glories. Because as H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj says, "If you have to give class you have to prepare meticulously by preparing notes and following the MRTR (Memorize, Recite, Think and Realize) process".
In reality this consciousness is what will help us to stand firm during trying circumstances in our lives. It is easy to accept someone glorifying us or helping us (which is what we usually expect Krishna or His devotees to do the moment we do some chanting or seva) because we think we naturally deserve them.
They kill the grandfather and have a feast, the cannibals. Yes. That is a great sport, that the grandsons will kill the grandfather and have a feast on his body by toasting.(?) Yes. The same idea is being preached by the communists. They want that all old man of the society, they should be killed.
We have already lost half or more than of our life but these children are fortunate enough to associate with Prabhupada's transcendental books from their tender age.
The ongoing theme of the messages given by Maharaj was on the practical ways of how not to slip into the material modes. Maharaj said that everyone of us want to become vaishnavas. But again and again we are being pulled back into the modes and this is the practical problem faced by every one of us.
Irrespective of the type of activity we are doing, either at work or regular household chores, we must do them with great care and attention . Krishna consciousness definitely includes detachment from material activities.