Atheist means a person who doesn't believe in God. If we are angry, it means that things are not according to our wish. But everything is happening under the control of the Lord, then where is the question of becoming angry? Still, if we are angry, that means we are not accepting the authority of God. It means we are atheistic. Every time when we become angry, we must think we are atheistic.
Anger is just one letter short of danger. So anger is just one step before danger. Therefore one should control his anger. Whenever we are angry we should not open our mouth.
We need to maintain the body in a condition favourable to practice devotional service as this is an instrument to serve God. Therefore, regulative principles are there. First, we must try to sleep early, by 9 or 9:30 pm. Those who sleep after this time develop blood clots. Secondly, we should wake up by 5:00 am. Those who wake up after this time develop cough. We should have only minimum needs and should not increase them artificially which in-turn leads to diseases.
We should behave in such a manner that Krishna should be willing to come to us. But most of the time, we behave in a manner that Krishna wants to depart.
A grain of practice is more valuable than tons of knowledge. By not criticizing anybody, we are observing the austerity of speech. Speaking is a very easy activity and that is why we criticize. Our body is so formed, that we can see only other’s face and we cannot see our own face. We are not aware of our own defects and we talk about others. By always performing the religious principles we avoid this pitfall.
Cleanliness is the first requirement. Cleanliness includes banishing the idea of grabbing another’s property. Grabbing tendency makes us lazy because we want to get something without working hard for it. As soon as we cheat somebody, our blood circulation goes wrong. What can an operation do? Cutting the body will not help you. If the bad tendency is not gone, again we have to cut. It is not that the body can be cured by outside treatment. Behaviour according to Bhagavad Gita gives a healthy body. Anti-Bhagavad Gita behavior affects our health.
Complication must be avoided - be it bathing, washing, cooking or eating. Then you will have time to think about Krishna. The fact is we are not ready to be simple and we find so many excuses not to be simple.
Duplicity must be avoided at any cost. If you are duplicitous then it does not harm any other people, but it harms your own self. To avoid duplicity we should avoid the tendency to grab other things / others’ things.
These scriptures are not in the sky. They are very much intimately connected with day to day life. Unless the way we deal with things in our day to day life is not changed, what is the use? Outward show is quite alright. Tilak is there, dhoti is there, japa mālā is there – but what is inside? Nothing. Outward show cannot continue. Hypocrisy cannot take us anywhere. Hypocrisy is known as “dambha” in Sanskrit. Hypocrisy should be avoided. At any cost – hypocrisy must be avoided.
So far as possible, night work is to be completely avoided. The night is not meant for work. It is only meant for rest. The lights also should be very dim. Before night whatever you need to do, you should complete. Then take japa beads in your hand. Just chant and go to sleep.
We have to do only two things in spiritual life. Adjust and tolerate. Tolerate and adjust. The whole life is about that.
The question that comes before us is that what is our duty in this age. We cannot stop the work which we are doing. And we cannot go to the farming may be. But one thing we should try to understand, in these times particularly, it becomes our pious duty to live for our own ancient teaching and to the best of our capacity we may try to mold our lives. If you cannot mold, at least you please introduce this swadhyaaya- that is the study, of may not be of all of scriptures but at least of Bhagavad-Gita. Our BBC is Bhagavad-Gita, Bhagavatam and Chanting. Minimum we should start to follow this at least.
In these three things you should never be satisfied. And that is Svadhyaya – the study of the scriptures, Japa-chanting, Danayoh-charity. Please remember that, we don’t want to be jyanis. We want to be bhaktas - to be devotees. Then why do you want to have study? svadhyaya - why? - this sloka insists, is only to increase our faith in Supreme Absolute Truth, Krishna. To that extent we must have the knowledge. And to that extent only we should try to touch Bhagavad-Gita, Bhagavatam. And as soon as you come to this conclusion that you want to increase your faith, in the name of Krsna, in the existence of Krsna, you want to understand what is He, how He appears, what is His constitution, what is our constitution? All these things are made very clear in our scriptures particularly in Bhagvad-Gita. All the preliminary knowledge is squeezed. And for this life time at least Bhagavad-Gita is more than enough for us.
In Kali-yuga you think about the pious activity and you get the result. Whereas the sinful activity you have to perform and then you will be punished. This is speciality (of Kali-yuga). I don’t mean that you should only think and never do anything. Otherwise we are very clever. “I am thinking. I am thinking I am thinking.” You think that: “I have to go to hear Srimad Bhagavatam” and it will give the result as if you have already heard. But don’t be like this. Always try to do something. This is specialty of Kali-yuga . Kalau Keshava Kirtanad. We all get auspicious results by just Keshava kirtan. Just thinking about Krishna, just speaking about Krishna, few verses here and there from Bhagavad-Gita or few chapters if you can.
When Bhagavan is satisfied by our behavior, then Bhagavan himself gives satisfaction to all. So all our problems, becomes null and void. Because many times we are under the influence of (material) nature, our faith starts dwindling on daily basis. We have much increased our artificial necessities of life. However much we decrease our desires, that much we will be peaceful and satisfied. Our youth, the young person must please understand the vedic instruction. Please don't increase your artificial necessities. In no way they are going to help you. If you increase your artificial necessities, then you will have to earn money to cope with your artificial necessities.
If you follow these four things (regulative principles), the four sinful activities you can avoid, then the fibre of your existence will improve. And if the fibre of your existence improves, then wherever you go you will spread that quality of fibre. This is the advantage. Wherever the devotees visit, people try to think that he is quite happy, he is quite satisfied, he is also like us, he is also working, and he is carrying on these activities. The fibre has got to be improved and this is very easy.
As soon as there is auspicious remembrance of Krsna, in any house, then riches, is a blessing. Vaishnavas are also very rich, but they are completely blessed. They are very calm and quiet, very simple. Nobody knows even that he is very rich. In order to digest the riches also, we must have Vaishnava attitude - Vishnu Bhakta. Then only our riches becomes Lakshmi. And Lakshmi always helps us, blesses us.
Cook yourself, offer it to Krishna and consume immediately. When we cook the food, within three hours we should consume according to ayurvedic principles. Food must be very fresh. This is a clue for good health.
Artificial decoration is harmful to health. The ladies should not use artificial powders; instead they should be attached to serving the husband.
Always remember whatever Krishna has given you is the best for you. Satisfaction should be there. Unless you are satisfied, ease will not be there. Ease is off-shoot of satisfaction. Those who are satisfied can face all reverses in life. Else we will go mad. Simply work and leave the rest to Krishna.
The more you propagate the more you will be engaged in active devotional service. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that those who spread my message, he is very much dear to Me. If you want to be dear to Krishna, this is the activity you have to propagate. Everybody of you are staying in the house, you have your neighbors, you know some people, you have some friends, call them for this, and this is the way to propagate Krishna Consciousness. This is sankirtan.
Krish means repeated birth and death and na means who can cut. Its only Krishna and nobody else can do that. Only the demigods are very faithful and we are very disrespectful with them. Indra helps me continuously to raise my hand and this and that. Indra is sitting here. without Indra I can’t do. I have to take help from Indra. In every sense, there is a demigod, every month has demigod, everywhere demigod is incharge, and we staying on their pity. But Director is there. And that Director we are catching and the lower administrative officers they become very favorable to us.
Simple living always helps us and we may think about Krishna, there is a high thinking. This is how if we can do then we can understand these verses very nicely and that’s why the temples also which we build very nicely build.
We assemble here for mangala arati, we have so many arati's during the day, then again we have discussions of Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita and it's very nice of you to assemble here to hear two words and then get this amrith, get this nectar from pages of Srimad Bhagavat Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam and assimilate it with your own experience. That is the main thing to be understood and that's why we are explaining these verses regarding Krsna, it's a pure devotional service.
Unless you read, unless you assimilate the knowledge, you cannot, you'll not be able to convince your own mind, what to talk of others. And if you want to convince yourself, first you have to convince yourself and the arguments which help you to convince yourself will definitely convince others also. That is the main secret of the study of the scriptures and hearing.
One example Prabhupada has cited. That iron rod is black and rusted but if it associates with fire, it become red hot and acts like fire. Rod is not fire but because of continuous association it acts like a fire. This is how, we are material but we are continuously in the association of fire, Krishna, this is why they act like Krishna. That is how. Our species changes. And iron rod is never iron rod. But the condition is it has to be continuously in the association with the fire. As soon as it goes away from the fire, the rod becomes rod again.
In no faith it is insisted that you cross the limit of the God's instructions. If you cross the limit you are nowhere. As it is the material life is miserable. We make it more miserable by our sinful attitudes. How are we going to improve our standard? Our standards don't depend on the artificial standards. Artificial standard of living is no living at all. We are depending on so many things. Simplicity is completely absent.
There must be some place for austerity in our life. We may call it penance or something. Austerity must be there. We don't like to get up early in the morning but we have to force to get up. In all the species of existence we have slept, we have eaten, we have mated, we have produced children everywhere and now the same thing we are doing. What is the difference between animal life and our life. Please! Try to recognise this. Here you are having higher intelligence. The higher intelligence should force us to understand what God is? Who we are? And what is the relationship between God and us? And please! Follow as soon as possible.
Absence of ease cannot be cured by any amount of tons of medicines. You may pour so many things into your mouth. How can you buy ease? If you want to have ease, you have to go to your Father. The child will never be satisfied unless he is taken to father or mother. He is crying for father or mother. You may marry him or you may give him one million dollar. He will never be satisfied. You have to come to your father. Otherwise there is no ease.
The more simple you are, the more you are attached to the scriptures, the more you will be free. The more you are attached to these clutches you will be caught somewhere. Please! Please! Try to save yourself from these unwanted nets.
Those people who cannot tolerate the lone moments, they never are satisfied, always frustrated. And because of this frustration our health goes bad. We don't know that there is a relationship between the frustration and our own well-being. We don't know that and that is why we are just wandering about in the world without any anchor. If the ship is not properly anchored, it will go on any way, anywhere. That anchor must be there and the anchor is remembering God. We should always be connected to God.
If you have beautiful body jaraa is there, old age is there. The same beautiful body will become like a monkey body in the old age. Old age kills the beauty. Without the attraction of the Lord, we cannot keep the body also alright. Please this is the main requirement for your own health and body. It’s not that you are doing something for Krishna. You are just doing for your own self. Don't leave these beads. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Then in old age also, your body will be beautiful. That is the key of the beauty.
There are two types of devotees. Somebody wants Him to satisfy their own demands. And somebody doesn't ask anything to Him but they see that He should be satisfied. And that is real devotee. So we should chalk out our programs in a way that He will be satisfied and not me.
By worship, all our senses are absorbed in Him. And our mind is offered to Him eventually. As soon as you are absorbed like this, then definitely you are coming to Me. ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ – what is the meaning of ātmānaṁ; ātmānaṁ – your soul; mat-parāyaṇaḥ - devoted to me; there is no difficulty in devoting the soul. Soul is part and parcel of Krishna. So it is already devoted to Him. It is a very tiny particle. So tiny particle has to be devoted to the Supreme particle.
When these material faculties are absorbed in Krishna, soul is definitely going to be absorbed. There is no difficulty in that. But many times we force material faculties not to be absorbed in Krishna.
ye tu tvadīya-caraṇāmbuja-kośa-gandhaṁ (SB 3.9.5). Kośa is the inside red part, inside of the lotus flower. Then we can have the aroma. And His lotus feet, it could only be smelt, by śruti-vāta-nītam. And śruti-vāta-nītam is all these Vedic literatures. And this Vedic literature insists that only the name will take you ahead. And name is glorified in so many verses. Every page of Bhagavatam is full of this. You please come to this point if you want to go to the spiritual nature. And just be engaged in this.
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