Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre

Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre Samveta Yuyutsava,

Mamka Pandavascaiva Kim Kurvata Sanjya.

This verse is the first verse in bahagavad Gita, spoken by King Dhritarashtra, enquiring from Sanjaya, about the activities of his sons and the sons of Pandu who had gathered in the religious grounds of Kurukshetra.

My grandmother's departure yet again sent us on a visit to this holy place where Lord Krishna delivered the instructions to Arjuna 5000 years ago. Kurukshetra is in the state of Harayana, a good 200 Km drive from New Delhi. W had to go to a small town adjacent to Kurukshetra named Peohwa. It is believed that Lord Krishna made King Yudhisthir perform rit

es for the departed Kuru clan to rectify mistakes in performing last rites for them.

In Vedic culture, it is advised that the dying person should be brought down from bed and lied down on the floor and Lighting a lamp and an incense. if one is not able to do that, then one has to go to Peohwa.

So we reached the Saraswati Kunda in the small town where many pandas (priests) are there. Only that panda will do the rites for you, whose ancestors did for your ancestors. We got ours by specifying our origin, gotra and current residential place. He then directed us to another priest who performed the actual rites at the banks of Sarasvati Kunda. Earlier it was a big river. But now it has disappeared underground and merges in the Ganga & Yamuna at Prayag.

After this we went straight to Krishna Arjuna Mandir, ISKCON.

Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Sri Sri Jagannath Baladev

a Subhadra preside over this huge temple. The construction is small, but the land is huge. There is a beautiful garden and amidst a beautiful and a big pond filled with lotus flowers. After attending the noon arati and honoring Mahaprasadam, we then left for the next spot.

Next was Jyoti Sar, the exact spot, where the supreme lord delivered Bhagavad Gita. The place is an open and huge marble structure, quite neatly mantained. There is no temple as such or pndas that will harass you like in other holy cities. Still stands the Banyan tree said to have witnessed the great pastime 5000 years back. After reciting some Bg verses and chanting few rounds we got into our car and headed back for New Delhi.

Oh! in case I forgot to tell, I went with my parents and Mithilesh.

Illumination 3

As told to Saurabh Prabhu

"Surrender is possible only in association"

"Paramhamsas are always able to see god because they remember him by their active service."

Haridwar - The holy city

Haridwar is perhaps the one of the most popular holy city in India. Thousands and thousands of pilgrims keep inundating the city. I had visited Haridvar some 15 years back with my parents and maternal grand parents, and by the look of it, nothing much has changed there. Same shops loaded with devotional CDs, worship paraphernalia and Deity Pictures. And yes, lots of Baishnava Bhojanalaya.

Inevitability of Death causes hundreds of people visit Haridvar everyday for performing last rites for their departed dear ones. Especially in north India, people spread the remains of the body in the Holy Ganga, the river that provides liberation to anyone who takes a dip in her holy water. Everyone knows the origin of Mother Ganga also known as Vishnupadi as it flows from the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.

The same fact

of life took us to Haridvar. We went to spread my grandmother's remains in the holy water. We reached Friday noon, took a room. We went to the Ghat, the famous Har ki Paudi (Hari's Stairs), took a dip in the freezing cold waters. Then went to the family panda whose family has done rites for our family since last 150-200 years, that covers about 7-8 generations. We then lit a lamp at Kusha Ghat to be kept burning whole night and then offered to Mother Ganga's waters in the wee hours. They say when the stars are still there.

Anyways, the day was very auspicious, Narsimha Caturdasi. After much struggle with my dad and uncle, I convinced them to visit the nearby ISKCON Centre. They were only reluctant because of being exhausted. My dad is also practicing all the rules & regulations of Krishna Consciousness and has been chanting 16 rounds for 2 years now. The centre was a 15 minutes rickshaw ride from Har Ki Paudi. The temple was under construction. When we went up, there were very few devotees. Most had gone for Vyas Puja of His Holiness Navyogendra Swami Maharaj in Jammu. But 4-5 devotees from different parts of India were all coincidently in Haridvar that day. We did Kirtan and heard pastimes of Lord Narsimha and Prahlada. After the Shayan Arotik, the devotees lovingly offered us Mahaprasadam. After that we left for our quarters.

Next morning, 4:30 we left for the Kusha Ghat banks, took the lamp and floated it in the river. I chanted a few rounds there in the calm and serene surroundings. It was very pleasing.

Then at 8:00 AM, we went to Har ki Paudi, spread the remains. There went the last of what we were holding on to the physical existence of my grandmother. Suddenly there was this void. It felt like a dream. Some magic, that a person between had disappeared, gone invisible.

We again came back to Kusha Ghat, did some more rites called *pinda dana etc. Gave a bedding and cow in charity to the Brahmin priest doing the ceremony. After all this we went back to har Ki Paudi, took a bath. It was hot, but the water was again freezing cold.

We were fasting since morning, so afterwards we had a nice filling breakfast. Puri aalo and delectable chutney. Loved it. Yes my taste buds continue to control my mind. But trying to subdue them by Krishna prasadam and chanting.

We then went back to the Family priest place. There we entered the reason for our visit in a

book, that had the same kind of records for previous 7-8 generations.

Afterwards, we packed up and left back for Delhi.

Haridvar is always filled with pilgrims. Many congregation gatherings, many saints giving discourses. But in all that rush, most people i noticed were either seeming to be in the picnic mode, or karma kanda or monists. Having recently been to Mayapur, Haridvar offered an extreme contrast.

May the cooling rays of Sri Harinama Sankirtan Movement inundate this holy city soon.

*Pinda Dana: offering of a gross body to the departed soul. Since the gross body is destroyed, the soul in its subtle body still needs the gross body to enjoy the fruits of the past karma (good or bad). So balls of flour and rice are offered. Then bedding is given in charity to a brahmin, which ultimately gives the departed soul the right to use it in the nether worlds. Also a cow is donated. It is said, that there is a dangerous Vaitarani river, full of blood mucous and bile with crocodiles in it. The living entity has to cross it over. The departed soul then holds on to the tail of the cow and crosses over easily. But sinful souls face a very horrible condition. Hare Krishna!!! Ref to Garuda Purana.

**ISKCON centre at Bhima Gauda, it is a small preaching centre, looked over by HH Nav Yogendra Swami Maharaja. A big temple is also coming up on the Prabhupada Road to Rishikesh. I guess.

Farewell to a loved one.

My Grandmother, 76 passed away on April 30, 2009. She had been diagnosed with Urinary Bladder Cancer. After undergoing Surgery and Radiotherapy and cycle of being healthy and sick, in a short span of 6 months, she disappeared from our eyes.

Born and Brought up in pre-independence Pakistan, married in India raised 2 sons. One of them being my dad. Pious lady, very doting especially on me. I was her cherished grandson.

By the good will of the lord, she had also started chanting Mahamantra 10 rounds everyday. She even touched 16 for 2-3 months before she fell sick. She followed most of the regulative life that her advanced age allowed her to do.

Krishna had plans for her and she left her body on April 30 morning 9:20 AM. Fortunately enough she had been hearing incessantly for past 10 days and nights the holy name from the lips of the pure devotee of the lord - Srila Prabhupada. The night before we had read the 18th Chapter of Bhagavad Gita, applied tilak on her and gave her Garland prasad. Just before she took her last birth, my mother was quick enough to pour tulsi and sacred Ganges water in her mouth.

I was unfortunately no there with her at the time of her passing. I came back early from office and got engaged in the arranging for the funeral service. She was looking her prettiest. AVaishnava Tilak adorning her calm and smiling face. A devotee had gotten Maha Garlands from the Temple as well, Tulasi beads and a Tulasi Stem.

We took her body in the procession doing Harinama to the Funeral Centre. After whole lot of rites, finally her body was kept on a pile of wood. We all bid our final obeisances to her and then my father gave the fire to the woods. In 45 minutes, everthing was reduced to ashes.

A Very Krishna Conscious Departure!!!

Illumination 2

Yesterday night Suarabh Prabhu gave me a very nice tip to improve upon reading and hearing Srila Prabhupada. This was told to him by HG Mohan Rupa Prabhu.

It is very important to have apersonal inspiration with Srila Prabhupada when hearing his lectures. That is to meditate that the instructions that Srila Prabhupada are giving in the lecture are for me and not just lecture he delivered in the distant past. Srila Prabhupada is the Founder Acarya and Shisksha Guru of every single soul who has come or will ever come to ISKCON. This will increase our understanding of what Prabhupada is saying and will have a much greater impact on our consciousness. This way we can be more Krishna Conscious while remembering the instructions in the lecture or Bhaktivedanta Purports.

World is Not Safe

World is not safe

Aila, a cyclone that recently hit the coastal West Be

ngal and Bangladesh wrecked havoc in

the area. The death toll mounted to 800 and affected more than 400,000 people. Well, nobody was there to save them from the natural disaster. The hospital, where people go for getting a treatment but end up worse? Recently a fire at a western Turkish hospital left eight intensive care unit patients dead. Mike Tyson – the boxing champion, the powerful man could not save his own 4-year-old daughter when her neck apparently got caught in a treadmill cord at her Phoenix home. This kind of reminds one of the

slasher movies like Saw and Final Destination. Yes! the depictions in the movie may seem highly unlikely but actually they are happening everywhere. This was evident when eleven people were killed and forty were injured due to wire breaking down at a free concert by Moroccan pop star Abdelaziz Stati.

These numbers probably are too less to give us a jolt. But the recent Sri Lanka – LTTE civil war is fresh in everybody’s mind. The UN estimated in May 2009, that 7,000 civilians had been killed and another 16,700 had been wounded between January 20 and May 7, 2009, and another 1,000 were killed in heavy artillery bombardments by the SLA forces in the last week of fighting. Both the Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE were blamed for the civilian deaths. What are all these facts pointing too? What is that one common string that strings them together in a theme?

Once Srila Prabhupada, with his disciples was flying in a plane. Owing to bad weather the plane experienced some turbulence. After landing, the pilot announced that they landed safely. The disciples also sighed in relief repeating that they are safe now. Srila Prabhupada said, "Material

world is never a safe place. Danger is there at every step".

Srimad Bhagavatam also declares the same sentiment

samasrita ye pada-pallava-plavam
mahat-padam punya-yaso murareh
bhavambudhir vatsa-padam param padam
padam padam yad vipadam na tesam

Vipadam means dangerous position; Padam padam, every step in this material world; na tesam - not for the devotee.

So in this material world we may try our best to live very peacefully, but nature will not allow us. There must be calamity, war and death. Especially we see in European history, there were so many wars: Carthaginian war, Greek War, Roman War, Seven Years' War between France and England, and Hundred Years' War. And wars are still going on, not only between nation and nation, but also between man and man, neighbor to neighbor, even between husband and wife, father and son. This war is going on.

Then what is the solution? How do we protect ourselves from this onslaught where everyone is bound to die.

Srimad Bhagavatam gives us the answer.

etat saḿsūcitaḿ brahmaḿs
tāpa-traya-cikitsitam
yad īśvare bhagavati
karma brahmaṇi bhāvitam

[SB 1.5.32]

O Brāhmana Vyāsadeva, it is decided by the learned that the best remedial measure for removing all troubles and miseries is to dedicate one's activities to the service of the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead [Śrī Krsna].

The most feasible and practical way to open the path of salvation or get relief from all miseries of life is to hear submissively the transcendental activities of the Lord from the right and bona fide sources. This is the only remedial process. The entire material existence is full of miseries. People have manufactured, many remedial measures for removing the threefold miseries pertaining to the body and mind, pertaining to the natural disturbances and in relation with other living beings. The whole world is struggling very hard to exist out of these miseries, but men do not know that without the sanction of the Lord no plan or no remedial measure can actually bring about the desired peace and tranquility.

The remedial measure to cure a patient by medical treatment is useless if it is not sanctioned by the Lord. To cross the river or the ocean by a suitable boat is no remedial measure if it is not sanctioned by the Lord. We should know for certain that the Lord is the ultimate sanctioning officer, and we must therefore dedicate our attempts to the mercy of the Lord for ultimate success or to get rid of the obstacles on the path of success. The Lord is all-pervading, all-powerful, omniscient and omnipresent. He is the ultimate sanctioning agent of all good or bad effects. So we should always depend on Krsna’s assurance. In any circumstances, any dangerous position, Krsna… Avasya raksibe krsna visvasa palana. This is surrender. We should, therefore, learn to dedicate our activities unto the mercy of the Lord.

Chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra is the prescribed method for this age to attract Lord’s mercy.

So Please chant Hare Krishna……….Hare Hare and be happy.

Illumination 1

Mohan Rupa Prabhu told Saurabh Prabhu told me:

Dealings with Contemporary Devotees, ie Devotees with whom one shares a friendly relationship.

· Respect amongst devotees should be heartfelt.
Not just an outwardly show.

· Reveal your mind to each other and enquire about
other realizations.

· When together, focus on discussing Krsna Katha,
otherwise tendency is there to drift towards prajalpa.
This tendency results from the common aspects like age/interests etc.

· Render service to the devotee sincerely, i.e the
underlying principle of loving relationship.

Demons

When we hear the word Demon, we think of mythical creatures with ugly features, belonging to some other world, who do utterly mean things. That might all be true. Krishna however explains certain qualities of a Demon.

Its the qualities and actions that make a person demon, not the external physical experience. Let us look inside our hearts to gauge our demoniac quotient.

For your benefit and mine, here I compile a few of the characteristics of demons from the Bhagavad Gita verses that I studied sometime back.

1. The demoniac man knows no limit to his desire to acquire money.
2. He does not hesitate to act in any sinful way for illegal gratification.
3. He believes in his own strength, and he does not know that whatever he is gaining is due to his past good deeds.
4. Anyone who comes into competition with such a demoniac man is his enemy.
5. Each demoniac person thinks that he can live at the sacrifice of all others.
6. Demoniac preacher tells his followers: "Why are you seeking God elsewhere? You are all yourselves God! Whatever you like, you can do. Don't believe in God. Throw away God. God is dead."
7. The demoniac accept that the enjoyment of the senses is the ultimate goal of life.
8. But one who is demoniac has no knowledge of Vedic scripture, nor has he any faith; therefore he feels free to do anything for sense enjoyment, regardless of the consequences.
9. They make a show of performing sacrifices, or they worship the demigods, or manufacture their own God.

The Real Enemy

The Real Enemies

In the wake of recent happenings in Mumbai, the thought that so many innocent lives were taken is very disturbing. It’s natural to conclude the reason for the brutal acts like this to be the most apparent one. We feel that India is being made a target of hatred by a certain community. We also feel cheated when we see that our own Government was handicap in protecting us from this impending danger. There was a fault in the NSG procedures, police action and good for nothing politicians.

Throughout the history of world we see many such incidents. The primitive America was involved in intertribal wars amongst the Mayans and Incas, Europeans were busy waging wars, annexing neighboring kingdoms. And India has never been a stranger to these plunders. From the ancient history of being attacked by Alexander to Mughals in medieval times and Britishers in the recent history, all we see is human tragedy – millions and millions of humans suffered/died. So the cause of brutalities like the one in Mumbai cannot be restricted to just one community or country, but to something much more global, much more universal.

There are various aspects to these incidents, however if were to find a real and permanent solution we would have to go to the deep depths of human nature, where lies the root of this problem. Real enemies of humanity are not some group or alliance of people, but the very ugly propensities ingrained in them from long. These are lust, greed, anger, envy, illusion and pride. Time and again we have seen that the perpetrators of the most gruesome crimes are driven by one or more of the above mentioned traits. Be it Napoleon (greed), Hitler (envy for Jews), America’s bombing of Hiroshima (anger). And people in absence of real knowledge by their own free will agree to be affected by these. They then become instruments/puppets in the hands of these all destructive propensities and end up using anything and everything to serve their nefarious acts including misuse of religion! This only leads to endless miseries to themselves and this world.

Each one of us is affected to different degree and our real nature is held hostage by these ugly propensities or terrorists! We have no hopes on our own; they are extremely powerful, dangerous and well armed! Our only hope for rescue from such treacherous conditions is external help – the commandos!

The timeless Vedic knowledge from Bhagavad Gita have throughout

history been working like commandos, destroying the ugly propensities (lust, greed, anger, envy, illusion and pride) in the hearts of people who ever sought their sincere help. Bhagavad Gita warns us of the serious consequences if we ignore this most important matter for ourselves and this world: For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy (as it serves as the h

ead quarters for these ugly propensities).

One of the most important practices mentioned in Vedic knowledge for our times(Kali Yuga) to win this war is to incessantly Chant the Maha-Mantra Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare and make our lives peaceful, happy and sublime – even amidst all the insanity of this world.

For more information, please feel free to contact: shalav.delhi@gmail.com

Roots of Secularism

Religious Extremism v/s Secular Extremism

To start with, let us revisit the definition of Secularism. A secular state is a state or country that is officially neutral in matters of religion, neither supporting nor opposing any particular religious beliefs or practices. A secular state also treats all its citizens equally regardless of religion, and does not give preferential treatment for a citizen from a particular religion over other religions. Atheism is about not believing in god, in other words, denying the existence of god.

Some time back, there was a nice poem circulating in the chain mails that caught my attention. It described how through the history of America, in the name of secularism, instead of becoming intolerant to religious discrimination, it has become intolerant to religion itself. Removing all forms of prayers from schools, public assemblies; religious passages from text books and many other such acts has made the Western civilization godless. Though these countries wear the garb of secularism, but instead of being tolerant to all the religions they have become intolerant to all religions. And sadly, India is marching forward in this direction.

On scrutinizing study of the religions of the world, any intelligent man can recognize that the underlying principles are the same. They can be summarized as:

· God is one, the supreme.

· Love God - This includes chanting his name, worshipping him.

· We, the living entities (humans, animals & plants) are all his children.

· Be a good human being - cultivate honesty, compassion, mercy.

· Restrain from sinful life - stealing, killing, adultery etc

The details, terminology may differ a little bit, but the goal remains the same. But deluded by greed, lust and anger, we have forgotten this. And in the name of religion we are either waging wars or turning totally deaf to the message of God. People ask, "If God is there and if religion is so perfect than why are the things happening in the world that are happening?" If a person is given instructions and follows them whimsically, then only a dull headed lame person would conclude that the instructions are wrong and should be done away with.

Similar is the present condition of our country today. Thanks to the sponsorship by the state, our great spiritual culture is withering away. There may be many committees formed for maintaining peace, but no matter how many peace keeping forces be created and deployed, but no peace can come unless we take the message of god in all earnest.

In Bhagvad Gita, Lord Krishna declares "samah sarvesu vedesu", i.e. one who knows oneself to be a part and parcel of the supreme god, has a vision of equality and then he sees all equal. What to speak of human beings, he considers even a cow, an elephant, a brahmana, a dog and a dog eater at same level. Why? Because he sees the supreme self in all. This principle brings us to real secularism. Roots of secularism are thus embedded in the religion – True religion. Artificially trying to turn the country into a godless society will only lead to demoniac results. Recent unfortunate events of Mumbai are one of them.

[Update: Read this new article. It talks about how secularists in US are bent on taking out Christ from Christmas]