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.

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.

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