Bhagvatha Dharma-11:
Chapter-11:
Eleventh and Twelfth Skandas:
1059. Pathitha skhalitha schaartha:Kshuthwa vaa vivashofbruvanHaraye nama: ithychai:muchyathe sarva pathakaath.(When you are falling down, when you commit errors , when extreme sorrow befalls you, when you are sneezing and when you are tired, loudly say “Sri Haraye Nama:” (Prostrations to Sree Hari); then you are freed from all sins and you attain God-realization
1060.
Bhave Bhave yathaa Bhakti: paadayosthava jaayathe,
Thathaa kurushwa devesha: naathasthwam no yatha: prabho.
Naamasankeerthanam yasya sarva papa pranaashanam
Pranaamo du:khasamana: tham namaami Harim param.
(Oh! God of all Gods! You are our Master and sole protector. Do unto us, that by which we can get unflinching devotion to your Holy Feet. We prostrate before Lord Hari, the chanting of whose names destroys all our sins and prostration before whom mitigates all our sorrows.)
[Thus the translation of Bhagavatha Dharmam by Shri: PNB Nair ends here. It contains 1060 Suthras (Axioms)which bring out the essence of Srimad Bhagavatham. Bhagavatha Dharmam is not a verbatim interpretation of Srimad Bhagavatham. Bhagavatha Dharmam is really the Devotee (Bhakthan), the Devotion (Bhakthi) and the Deva(Bhagavan)(the Supreme Truth). It shows the interrelation among theses three. It explains the Devotional duties through which mortal beings could be rid of all fears. The observance of this Bhagavatha Dharmam is the very essence of Srimad Bhagavatham and it will take one to the ultimate goal of God Realization.]
HARI OM THAT SAT.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Bhagavatha Dharma - 11
Bhagavatha Dharma -11:
CHAPTER XI :
Eleventh and Twelfth Skandas :
1024. Detachment comes from contemplation.
1025. When you feel detached from each and every object in this world, it means you have developed devotion to God.
1026. So long as God remains away from your body, there will be a bad smell for the body.
1027. By merely thinking about godly men you can become free from all sins.
1028. Man’s natural tendency is to live a bestial life in younger days. So try to get rid of your beastliness under the supervision of a Guru.
1029. Don’t talk much. Try to observe silence at least for three hours daily.
1030. Misuse of tongue (words) and hands (actions) is a great offence against God.
1031. Do not condemn the faith of other religions.
1032. Pray daily without fail.
1033. The body has its origin from desire. So the paths of Yoga and Knowledge are not suitable for God–realization in Kaliyuga. Chanting the Names of God is the simplest and most effective means for this in Kaliyuga.
1034. Almost everyone possesses theoretical knowledge. But only virtuous persons can translate that knowledge into their life.
1035. Try to speak sweetly; and keep a cool temperament.
1036. It is a sin to think about the sins of others.
1037. Don’t get elated by gains or dejected by losses.
1038. Give help to others as the Sun does. But never feel proud about doing so.
1039. Don’t cry when someone dies. You must cry only to get God.
1040. Don’t get entangled in sorrows and pleasures. Try to remain happy in any event.
1041. Man, who is now Nara can become Narayana if he tries for that.
1042. Man and woman engaged in spiritual practices should necessarily avoid mutual company
1043. Give away your wealth instead of amassing it.
1044. The main thing that causes man’s downfall is his tongue. He who has his tongue under control will get God also under his control.
1045. Your desire for enjoyment of pleasures is the cause for all your sorrows.
1046. Learn innocence from children.
1047. Don’t entertain desire for pleasures.
1048. Peace of mind is alien to those who live in cities. Therefore, holy men should live in solitude.
1049. God creates, protects and destroys everything by His Maya (delusive power)
1050. Even birds and animals are uplifted by the company of Holy men. Therefore, avoid the company of lustful people.
1051. Idle talk is a great sin. Speak only with measured words.
1052. Penance is the name of giving up desires. Giving up tendencies is Chivalry. Meditation of God is Truth. Righteousness is the greatest Wealth. A pundit is on who knows the path to reach God. He who translates his knowledge into life is Wise. He who installs ego in his intellect is Ignorant. One who is rich in his good qualities is the really rich man. That which is subordinate to Maya is soul. One who is always happy is the really wealthy man. One who is always unhappy is the destitute. One who has the senses under his control is God. The brave is one who has destroyed all his internal foes. A true Bhakta is he who does not entertain even the slightest degree of contempt against anyone.
1053. Human body is most sacred. If you don’t get the good fortune for the company of holy men, don’t get disappointed. But you must strictly avoid the company of worldly men. The duty of avoiding the company of worldly men is yours.
1054. Don’t be exulted by praises. So also don’t get dejected by insults. One who cannot bear insult is a weakling. One who insults you is really your well-wisher.
1055. Don’t get into the problems of others unnecessarily. Try to uplift yourself first.
1056. It is difficult to please the world; it is not so difficult to please God.
1057. Everyone knows that the last journey has to be performed alone. Nevertheless, man cannot live without woman, and woman cannot live without man. What a paradox?
1058. At the time of death, man should think only about the God’s form. God will then convert that man into His own form.
(To be continued)
CHAPTER XI :
Eleventh and Twelfth Skandas :
1024. Detachment comes from contemplation.
1025. When you feel detached from each and every object in this world, it means you have developed devotion to God.
1026. So long as God remains away from your body, there will be a bad smell for the body.
1027. By merely thinking about godly men you can become free from all sins.
1028. Man’s natural tendency is to live a bestial life in younger days. So try to get rid of your beastliness under the supervision of a Guru.
1029. Don’t talk much. Try to observe silence at least for three hours daily.
1030. Misuse of tongue (words) and hands (actions) is a great offence against God.
1031. Do not condemn the faith of other religions.
1032. Pray daily without fail.
1033. The body has its origin from desire. So the paths of Yoga and Knowledge are not suitable for God–realization in Kaliyuga. Chanting the Names of God is the simplest and most effective means for this in Kaliyuga.
1034. Almost everyone possesses theoretical knowledge. But only virtuous persons can translate that knowledge into their life.
1035. Try to speak sweetly; and keep a cool temperament.
1036. It is a sin to think about the sins of others.
1037. Don’t get elated by gains or dejected by losses.
1038. Give help to others as the Sun does. But never feel proud about doing so.
1039. Don’t cry when someone dies. You must cry only to get God.
1040. Don’t get entangled in sorrows and pleasures. Try to remain happy in any event.
1041. Man, who is now Nara can become Narayana if he tries for that.
1042. Man and woman engaged in spiritual practices should necessarily avoid mutual company
1043. Give away your wealth instead of amassing it.
1044. The main thing that causes man’s downfall is his tongue. He who has his tongue under control will get God also under his control.
1045. Your desire for enjoyment of pleasures is the cause for all your sorrows.
1046. Learn innocence from children.
1047. Don’t entertain desire for pleasures.
1048. Peace of mind is alien to those who live in cities. Therefore, holy men should live in solitude.
1049. God creates, protects and destroys everything by His Maya (delusive power)
1050. Even birds and animals are uplifted by the company of Holy men. Therefore, avoid the company of lustful people.
1051. Idle talk is a great sin. Speak only with measured words.
1052. Penance is the name of giving up desires. Giving up tendencies is Chivalry. Meditation of God is Truth. Righteousness is the greatest Wealth. A pundit is on who knows the path to reach God. He who translates his knowledge into life is Wise. He who installs ego in his intellect is Ignorant. One who is rich in his good qualities is the really rich man. That which is subordinate to Maya is soul. One who is always happy is the really wealthy man. One who is always unhappy is the destitute. One who has the senses under his control is God. The brave is one who has destroyed all his internal foes. A true Bhakta is he who does not entertain even the slightest degree of contempt against anyone.
1053. Human body is most sacred. If you don’t get the good fortune for the company of holy men, don’t get disappointed. But you must strictly avoid the company of worldly men. The duty of avoiding the company of worldly men is yours.
1054. Don’t be exulted by praises. So also don’t get dejected by insults. One who cannot bear insult is a weakling. One who insults you is really your well-wisher.
1055. Don’t get into the problems of others unnecessarily. Try to uplift yourself first.
1056. It is difficult to please the world; it is not so difficult to please God.
1057. Everyone knows that the last journey has to be performed alone. Nevertheless, man cannot live without woman, and woman cannot live without man. What a paradox?
1058. At the time of death, man should think only about the God’s form. God will then convert that man into His own form.
(To be continued)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Bhavatha dharmam - 10
Bhagavatha Dharmam-10 :
CHAPTER X :
Tenth Skandha(Second half):
(Translation by Shri: PNB Nair)
996. This world is never bad. It is your polluted mind that sees the world as bad.
997. So long as the mind contains emotions and tendencies, it will remain polluted. Mind will get purified insofar as these emotions and tendencies are controlled.
998. Tightly hold the holy feet of God well before your body is invaded by the disabilities due to old age and time.
999. In old age, people lie in the sick bed for seventeen days and die on the eighteenth day.
1000. The sorrows of birth, old age and death are your own creations.
1001. You must learn the secret of action and give up all actions before actions themselves give you up. When you give up all actions, you become surrendered to God.
1002. There are two rules which man should necessarily observe:-(1) Give up sins; and (2) Perform good actions.
1003. A man breathes 21600 times a day. So if he can recite on name of God along with each breath, his life will be fulfilled without doubt.
1004. When you are fifty years old, know that death has already occupied half of your body.
1005. Giving the senses whatever worldly objects that the body needs for its upkeep is using them. But giving the senses whatever they ask for the sake of sensual enjoyment is misusing them. Those who misuse wealth and strength are Daityas(Demons).Those entrapped in fashion-related tendencies are merely misusing their time and money.
1006. (i) Lakshmi is the name of money acquired through all means, fair as well as foul .That money is used for good causes as well as for enjoyment of pleasures.(ii) Maha Lakshmi is the name of money acquired through rightful employment based on eligibility and other righteous means .That money is used only for noble purposes.(iii) Alakshmi is the name of money acquired only through sinful means. That is used only for the enjoyment of sensual pleasures. That money will continue to give disturbance and restlessness to man.
1007. Don’t enter into a marriage as a slave to the senses. You should marry only with full control over the senses.
1008. Listen to the stories of Lord Krishna over and over again. He will attract your mind and make it His own.
1009. If the wife is virtuous, her husband will be free from sorrows.
1010. Speak only what you think in your mind. Try to maintain unity of your words and deeds.
1011. Treat Lakshmi(goddess of wealth) as your mother and worship at home. That will make you happy. If you try to become Lakshmi’s master, you will be beaten by the broomstick of Alakshmi.
1012. Don’t be under the control of your innate nature. Rather, keep it under your control. Innate nature will be cultured by positive actions, thoughts about God, recital of God’s names, company of godly men, reading of good books etc.
1013. First ensure that your mind is cultured. Then only you should start to advise the world. If your own inner self gets satisfaction from your actions, it shows that your innate nature has been cultured.
1014. If Veda Mantras get into the hands of sensuous people, they will interpret the Mantras according to their convenience, by giving opposite meanings.
1015. If Brahmacharis come to your house, receive them respectfully.
1016. The soul becomes restless in old age.
1017. If there is difference of opinion at home, go on a pilgrimage.
1018. Destitution is not a misfortune. Forgetting God in destitution is the greatest misfortune
.1019. One who eats food without sharing it with others will become destitute.
1020. Give up all your enmities and tendencies before death. Tendencies will cause rebirth.
1021. If man will think about death often, he cannot commit sins.
1022. Desire (for worldly pleasures) is a strong impediment to Bhakti.
1023. If a man’s food is impure, his prayer will also be impure.
(To be continued)
CHAPTER X :
Tenth Skandha(Second half):
(Translation by Shri: PNB Nair)
996. This world is never bad. It is your polluted mind that sees the world as bad.
997. So long as the mind contains emotions and tendencies, it will remain polluted. Mind will get purified insofar as these emotions and tendencies are controlled.
998. Tightly hold the holy feet of God well before your body is invaded by the disabilities due to old age and time.
999. In old age, people lie in the sick bed for seventeen days and die on the eighteenth day.
1000. The sorrows of birth, old age and death are your own creations.
1001. You must learn the secret of action and give up all actions before actions themselves give you up. When you give up all actions, you become surrendered to God.
1002. There are two rules which man should necessarily observe:-(1) Give up sins; and (2) Perform good actions.
1003. A man breathes 21600 times a day. So if he can recite on name of God along with each breath, his life will be fulfilled without doubt.
1004. When you are fifty years old, know that death has already occupied half of your body.
1005. Giving the senses whatever worldly objects that the body needs for its upkeep is using them. But giving the senses whatever they ask for the sake of sensual enjoyment is misusing them. Those who misuse wealth and strength are Daityas(Demons).Those entrapped in fashion-related tendencies are merely misusing their time and money.
1006. (i) Lakshmi is the name of money acquired through all means, fair as well as foul .That money is used for good causes as well as for enjoyment of pleasures.(ii) Maha Lakshmi is the name of money acquired through rightful employment based on eligibility and other righteous means .That money is used only for noble purposes.(iii) Alakshmi is the name of money acquired only through sinful means. That is used only for the enjoyment of sensual pleasures. That money will continue to give disturbance and restlessness to man.
1007. Don’t enter into a marriage as a slave to the senses. You should marry only with full control over the senses.
1008. Listen to the stories of Lord Krishna over and over again. He will attract your mind and make it His own.
1009. If the wife is virtuous, her husband will be free from sorrows.
1010. Speak only what you think in your mind. Try to maintain unity of your words and deeds.
1011. Treat Lakshmi(goddess of wealth) as your mother and worship at home. That will make you happy. If you try to become Lakshmi’s master, you will be beaten by the broomstick of Alakshmi.
1012. Don’t be under the control of your innate nature. Rather, keep it under your control. Innate nature will be cultured by positive actions, thoughts about God, recital of God’s names, company of godly men, reading of good books etc.
1013. First ensure that your mind is cultured. Then only you should start to advise the world. If your own inner self gets satisfaction from your actions, it shows that your innate nature has been cultured.
1014. If Veda Mantras get into the hands of sensuous people, they will interpret the Mantras according to their convenience, by giving opposite meanings.
1015. If Brahmacharis come to your house, receive them respectfully.
1016. The soul becomes restless in old age.
1017. If there is difference of opinion at home, go on a pilgrimage.
1018. Destitution is not a misfortune. Forgetting God in destitution is the greatest misfortune
.1019. One who eats food without sharing it with others will become destitute.
1020. Give up all your enmities and tendencies before death. Tendencies will cause rebirth.
1021. If man will think about death often, he cannot commit sins.
1022. Desire (for worldly pleasures) is a strong impediment to Bhakti.
1023. If a man’s food is impure, his prayer will also be impure.
(To be continued)
Bhagavata Dharmam 9, Continued
Bhagavatha Dharmam-9 :
Tenth Skandha(First Half)
(Translation by Shri: PNB Nair)
803. Husband and wife should love each other. But mere physical attachment is not love. Today the word “love” has been corrupted very much. When you are governed by emotions and tendencies, you cannot realize the value of true love. A life without love is delusion.
804. A yogi will not become a rogi.(sick) If a yogi gets some disease, it means that he has erred in the path of Yoga.
805. A thoughtful man should think of Lord Krishna only at all times. If a man goes into a trance, with eyes wide open, while sitting in meditation, that condition is genuine Samadhi
.806. A true Bhakta does not fear death. He will welcome death with pleasure.
807. He is true Bhakta, who sees his own faults and praises the merits of others.
808. The body of the one who makes others happy by the purity of his thoughts, words and actions will naturally become the abode of God.
809. There are many obstacles in the path of Jnana(knowledge). Self realization will be possible only through total renunciation and control of all the eleven senses.
810. If you receive the blessings of all, there will be God’s presence in your house. Don’t make cause for any one to criticize you.
811. Respect everyone. The greatest gift that we can give to anyone is respect. In truth, all beings are different manifestations of God. With this conviction, we must respect all.
812. Take care to see that actions of others do not disturb your peace of mind.
813. Avoid all actions that may cause unhappiness to others.
814. If God is in your mind, you will forget hunger and thirst.
815. Pure body and mind are nothing but Mathura and Gokul.
816. There will be no injustice in the kingdom of God. Whatever happens there will be just and fair.
817. Pilgrimage to holy places is good. But along with that it should be ensured that our body and mind are also kept as pure as the holy places.
818. When Lord Sri Krishna is residing in your mind there will be no trace of unhappiness in it.
819. The best time for meditation of God is Brahma muhurtha( one-and-a –half hours prior to sun-rise).It is necessary to do meditation for at least half an hour during this period. If you do this regularly for twelve years, you will have the experience of God.
820. God has given you wealth in order to spend it for poor- feeding and other noble purposes.
821. Mahatmas (great men) cannot be tested on the basis of their caste or creed. Their greatness is in their eyes and thoughts.
822. When four eyes meet at one place, you experience Ananda(Bliss)
823. Ordinary beings remain separate from God. So they are afflicted by fear.
824. When you see friends don’t tell them about your comforts. Only enquire about their comforts
.825. When you return from distant places bring something special for God. If you do so your life at that place will have the fragrance of Bhakti.
826. There is no other thing as sacred as Jnana(knowledge).Bhakti comes out of pure Jnana.
827. Look at women not as mere females, but as the images of Parasakti. (Superior cosmic power.)
828. When the desire for enjoying unrighteous and unlawful pleasures arises in you, and you eat food merely for satisfying the taste of your tongue, take it that Poothana (not pure) is dominating your tongue.
829. When your mind finds pleasure in listening to dreadful and wanton conversation, it means that Poothana is dominating your ears.
830. If you pay more attention to the leather (Body), you will become a cobbler in your next birth. Therefore, instead of wasting time for pampering the body, worship God as much as possible.
831. The one whose mind is poisonous and body alone is beautiful, she is Poothana. The one whose appearance is beautiful while actions are cruel, she is Poothana. The one who praises anyone on seeing face to face, but insults later on is Poothana.
832. Don’t be deluded by the external beauty of a person and believe that person to be pure internally too.
833. As man is a heap of tendencies, his downfall is quick. Poothana makes her appearance through the eyes.
834. When we are able to see God in everything, then only we can derive the joy of ‘seeing’.
835. Jiva (the soul) is egotistic Even though there is nothing of its own, poor thing! It takes pride in everything.
836. Wishing happiness to others is the characteristic of true devotees of God
.837. One who,by the grace of God, is able to see God in everything, will be accepted by the Goddess of Bhakti as her own.
838. Jiva (the soul) has no right to deal with Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth). If it does so, Lakshmi will vanish immediately.
839. Cow’s urine purifies everything. Drinking and bathing in cow’s urine will eradicate diseases. It is useful for purifying the mind also. By drinking cow’s urine 108 times you get relief from all sins. Do this for six months.
840. If you waste your time on ‘fashion’ and allied bad habits, you cannot progress in the path of Bhakti.
841. On festival days, make good use of your thoughts, words and seeds. Think of God for a longer time than usual. Give food to the poor. Invite holy men to your house, pay them respects and offer them food and clothing.
842. ‘Poor and destitute’ are the children of God. We should be ashamed to call them so. Whatever we give them should be given with humility and respect, fixing our eyes on the ground.
843. If the desire to receive arises in you, it is called Moha (delusion). If your desire is always to give, that is called Prema(love)
844. If you misuse your wealth, Lakshmi( goddess of wealth will forsake you.
845. There is a golden opportunity in everybody’s life when luck becomes favourable. Without wasting that occasion, give all that you have to your fellow creatures lavishly and spread the message of universal love. If luck is not in your favour, you cannot earn anything however much you desire to do so.
846. God will be pleased if you pay your homage to holy men and Brahmins.
847. Married life is not for enjoyment. On the contrary, it should be used for the worship of God. If the chariot of marriage goes astray, it will topple down.
848. If importance is given for carnal pleasures, know that the chariot is going astray. Even after realizing that you are moving in the opposite direction, if you continue the same path, the chariot will definitely fall into deep pit.
849. If the memory of anything comes to your mind when you are about to sleep at night, that is the thing in which your mind finds more pleasure. The mind of a greedy person finds pleasure in wealth while that of a lustful person in women. What gives more pleasure to your mind in the waking state, that you will see in your dream also. A man’s character can be determined from the dreams he sees.
850. A right seeker gets his first vision of God in his dreams.
851. Recite the names of God while cooking your food. Sing the sweet songs on Krishnabhakti(devotion to Lord Krishna) melodiously.
852. While performing your duties maintain your devotion also. This is known as Maryada bhakti( limited devotion)
853. God will appear before you in any form. So you must respect everyone. If not you will be deceived.
854. Those who waste money for carnal pleasures are Rakshasas.(demons)
855. God will never part with a true spiritual seeker. But God will forsake those who are not sincere in spiritual practices. Anyone who takes pride in his spirituality will also be forsaken by God. So be careful not to take pride in your spiritual practices.
856. If you are not able to detach yourself from worldly bonds during your life time, it would not be possible after death also.
857. The world is wonderful. What you can see with your eyes closed is the world. The world that is deep-rooted in your mind is a strong impediment.
858. Bhakti(devotion) cannot reach perfection without Bhavana (imagination).
859. Your mind does not part with you even in your death.
860. The mind becomes free from all thoughts when you are in deep sleep. That is why you get the experience of happiness during sleep.
861. The mind exists because of its thoughts on worldly objects. There fore, when worldly objects are forsaken, the mind ceases to exist.
862. The mind always needs a support. There fore, withdraw the mind from negative thoughts and lead it to positive thoughts.
863. Yoga is difficult for pleasure-mongers. First pre-requisite for Yoga is celibacy. He who acts contrary to this principle will be afflicted by serious diseases leading to disaster.
864. Do not show hatred towards anyone in this world.
865. Give up the desire to enjoy worldly pleasures.
866. A spiritual seeker should not get involved in the mesh of unnecessary arguments. Thinking of worldly objects is the practice of mind from time immemorial. Induce that mind to listen to the stories and think of Lord Krishna. When the nectar of Sri Krishna’s stories falls on your ears, thoughts of worldly objects will automatically disappear.
867. Your senses being Gopis, join them with Lord Krishna.
868. Time will deceive you once. At that time you will have to leave your house with tears. Those who know this truth will, renounce the house well in time.
869. Like YasodDevi(Foster-mother of Lord Krishna)you should try to see God even while performing your normal duties.
870. Each and every action of a Bhakta (Devotee) is soaked in Bhakti(Devotion), because all his actions are performed under the orders from God.
871. Man falls into dangers when his intellect rejects God and seeks worldly objects.
872. Man does not see God because he is not praying with a pure heart.
873. God gives every thing, even to a wicked man, with the expectation that his soul might recover from its fall and improve in the near future.
874. God does not accept a man as His without testing.
875. How much sin does a man commit for the sake of a little money? Several small sins combined together become a great sin. Oh! Man! Even if you do not do anything good, it will be a good thing if you can desist from committing sins.
876. God is the only one who deserves to be loved. Because of your love towards worldly things, you have to spend most of your life in tears.
877. A soul gets a human body when papa and punya (merits and demerits of past actions) are equal. When you start experiencing grief, take it that your papa is being mitigated.
878. When you are engaged in household affairs, you cannot remember any other thing. But when you are engaged in Japa( recital of God’s names) you remember only household affairs and allied worldly matters.
879. Even when sitting for meditation on God, man is often thinking of the worldly pleasures that he has experienced. Human nature is generally to forget God, on the pretext that of meditating on God.
880. It is also human nature to seek for anything that is not easy to get.
881. God never forgets man. But man unnecessarily burns his heart by engaging himself in useless thoughts.
882. If you lose everything in the service of God, never mind .That is a blessing of God. But if your service of God is only for the sake of food, that is not service.
883. When you develop distaste for worldly matters, you get the taste of God. When that taste is full, God will take care of your worldly affairs also.
884. Bhakti in the form of love, binds God to our hearts. Jnana and Yoga have no power to bind God in this manner. Bhakti means Shakti(Power)
885. God is free from all desires while the soul is full of desires.
886. Man’s love is fragmented or scattered among many things. Some of his love goes to wife and children come for various luxuries of life and finally not a bit of love remains for God.
887. Money earned through unfair means leads to three main vices, viz. gambling, immorality and addiction to liquor and meat.
888. Blinded by money-power, man forgets that his body is mortal and subject to decay. So he hurts other fellow creatures He who realizes that this body belongs to God and has to be used for the service of God, is the most fortunate person.
889. Those who use their time and money solely for enjoyment of worldly pleasures will take birth as trees in their next incarnation. Sinners necessarily have to take re-birth as trees, because trees are said to be in the Papa Yoni. (Sinful womb)
890. If someone cries for Kannaya (Lord Krishna), sitting in solitude, then Kannaya will rush to his side and console him.
891. Never beg to God for anything. Recollect the helps done by God to us, time and again. You can bind God only with the rope of Love.
892. Do not eat your food without sharing it with others. If you share your food joyfully with others, your satisfaction will be thousand times more than what you get by eating alone
.893. While circum-ambulating in the temples, keep on chanting the Names of God.
894. Man observes certain discipline in his food; but not in his worship. If a man eats his food without worshipping God, he is eating sin.
895. You must tell the story of your grief to God only, in private. Never talk about it to others.
896. When you surrender the fruits of your actions to God, He will give you everything including Himself. When you surrender the fruits of your good actions to God, He will fill your coffers with valuable gems.
897. Never entertain the desire to enjoy the fruits of your actions already surrendered to God. When you perform each and every action on behalf of God, that action will take shape as Bhakti.
898. You can do whatever you want to do. But take care not to move away from God. Then all your actions will turn into Bhakti.
899. Man is affected by sinful thoughts when he becomes weak. Make it a habit to think of God at least for five minutes at the beginning of each hour during the day. This will ward off all sins from you.
900. You must be happy always, whatever be the circumstances in which God has placed you. Make all your actions be subjected to the will of God. You don’t know the results of your actions; but God knows.
901. Sound and its echo are alike. If you have ill will towards others, they will also have ill will towards you.
902. You must be active always. If your body is not tired of day-long activity, you cannot get good sleep. If you remain idle, you will be fall in the grip of sinful thoughts. Good actions will give good sleep. That sleep will lead you in the path of Bhakti.
903. When the culture and tendencies of previous births no longer influence you, you will derive happiness from your actions.
904. When your children are five years old, you must try to inculcate the culture of righteousness in them. Don’t give them rice as food on Ekadasi days. Parents who do not give instructions to their children in the path of Bhakti and righteous living are their enemies.
905. Impressions formed in a child’s mind are long-lasting. A child’s mind is very tender. Good culture inculcated in childhood will make the youth glorious.
906. The company of great men you protect you from down fall. The fear of fall is only when you walk alone. If you walk holding the hands of God, there is no need for any fear.
907. God exhorts all living creatures to His side through the melodious sound of His divine flute. But this sound does not reach the ears of those creatures that are enchanted by the attraction of worldly objects.
908. Do not reject any one. That is the main requirement of Bhakt.
909. There is no greater sin than arrogance. All other sins have atonement; but not for arrogance.
910. He, whose body is handsome but mind is wicked, is Bakasura.
911. Where ignorance and arrogance are reigning, that is the kingdom of sin.
912. Arrogance will show up when fame and greed for wealth are on the increase.
913. When man is about to commit a sin, his conscience will warn him against it. But because of man’s weakness, he is not able to desist from the sin. As a consequence, mishaps constantly attack him. A true Bhakta (devotee) is on who does not allow shelter to sin in his mind.
914. Soul and senses are mutually related. Therefore, the soul is unable to prevent the sinful actions of the senses. It simply remains as a mere witness.
915. Cut off any sinful thought from the mind as soon as it occurs. Once sin enters into the mind of any one, it will never leave him. But there is one remedy for it. That is to go and weep before the Lord.
916. If a sinful thought is allowed to remain in the mind even for a short while, it will be very difficult to get rid of it later.
917. The mind is always with you. Therefore, wherever you go, it will, continue to induce you to commit sin.
918. When guided by tendencies, you will tend to commit sins, even if your conscience forbids. Divine knowledge is often swept away in the current of tendencies. Therefore, you have no hesitation to commit sins. Strangely enough, you don’t even get peace of mind without committing sin! What is the remedy for this? The only remedy is to make God a witness to all your actions.
919. No action is possible without pronouncing a sound. If not by your tongue, you are always making sound with your mind. Therefore, before committing any sin either your tongue or mind will make the sound of it. If you want, you can get rid of that sin then and there.
920. Everyone knows that telling a lie is sin. Similarly, it is well known that hurting others is also sin. Nevertheless, the weakness of your mind makes you commit such sins.
921. If you have committed a sin by chance, recite the names of God. Make God the witness to all your actions. If you do so, God will take away your tendency to commit sin.
922. Sins already committed will not be mitigated without suffering the punishment for them. But if you surrender both the punya(merits) and papa(demerits) of your actions to God, they will not affect you.
923. If you receive the mercy of holy men and evolved souls, you will be freed from the tendency to commit sins.
924. Your tendency to commit sins arises from desire and anger. Both are born out of Rajo guna (the quality of restiveness).So you must always try to eradicate Rajoguna and cultivate Sattwa guna (the quality of solemnness)925. If you can derive happiness from the worship of God at least once, the whole world will then appear to you as quite silly. People go after worldly objects for happiness, only because they are unable to find happiness from worship of God.
926. A woman who cannot see God in her husband cannot feel the presence of God in other images also.
927. The more you enjoy worldly pleasures, the more is your tendency to commit sins. Reduce the enjoyment of pleasures and your sins also will get reduced.
928. Try to check all your bad habits. Try to curtail the urge that ‘’I want more, I want more”. This will make you happy.
929. To see only “things” is the nature of soul. God sees not “things”, but only “attitudes”
930. If God has given you sufficient wealth, use it for rearing cows. Service to cows will ward off all fears such as untimely death and other similar mishaps.
931. If a man having immense wealth in his possession chooses to enjoy it without giving anything to others, he is Dhenuka Asura. Asses like him will consider the body as the greatest wealth.
932. This world is like a wild fire. It encompasses and burns the creatures from all the four sides. Burning from all sides, this terrifying fire destroys everyone. Therefore, close your eyes and loudly recite the holy names of God. God will put out this wildfire which comes to us in the form of woes
.933. If you can remain totally absorbed in the recital of God’s names, this wild fire will not affect you.
934. Do not collect the poison of hatred in your heart.
935. A woman who takes her husband to the presence of God or to the company of godly men is the real wife.
936. A real housewife is the woman who leads her husband in the spiritual path and encourages him to perform good actions. A wife who entangles her husband in worldly pleasures is his enemy.
937. Bliss cannot be experienced unless the worshipper and worshipped become one. This is the first step to enter into the realm of God.
938. Food shall never be disrespected and left over food shall never be served to god-men
939. If you have to depend on something, depend on God’s holy feet only; nothing else.
940. Look at every woman as your mother. Then carnal desires will not arise in your mind. So also, try to see Lord Krishna in every thing.
941. The time between 11PM and 3.30AM is not suitable for taking bath and food.
942. Man’s greatest enemy is desire. All other bad qualities come from that. Loss of Budhi (discriminative power) is its ultimate result.
943. A Pathivratha (a woman who is faithful to her husband without blemish) can convert even God into a child.
944. Love intensifies during separation. Separation is beneficial while re-union is sometimes detrimental (to love)945. If the seeker’s mind is restless while meditating on God, he will not get the vision of God. He will see only darkness. But the meditation should be continued without getting disappointed. Gradually the light of God will become visible to you.
946. He who is dominated by Rajoguna can see only faults, even in faultless things.
947. Do not waste your time on worldly talks and thoughts. If you waste the most valuable time, how can you uplift yourself in this birth?
948. The reason for all the unrest of today is forgetting God.
949. By Sadhana (spiritual practices) you get many Sidhis (supernatural powers). If you are not carried away by these powers, you will get God in the end. So carry on with your spiritual practices, without being enamored of the Sidhis.
950. Do not trust your mind till the last breath. If you trust the mind, it will throw you into a dark pit.
951. You must continue your prayers and worship of God till the last day of your life. Your prayer must be like this:-“Oh God! Bless me to continue my prayers, worship and recital of thy names till my last breath.” Let death come at any time.
952. By spiritual practice man gets many powers. Some get word power. That makes them famous. People start running after them. So they become proud of their word power. Pride is the first step towards their downfall. Their followers start praising them. The poor soul thinks that he has become great. This brings about his total downfall.
953. When love of God increases, the seeker gets the feeling that God belongs to him. At the culmination of Sadhana, this feeling changes and he will see his God and himself as one single entity. Even after this experience of identification with God, the seeker does not stop his spiritual practices. Because, he knows that as soon as he stops Sadhana, Maya (delusion) will catch hold of him.
954. However, most people show the tendency to stop spiritual practices after reaching its culmination.
955. When you get wealth and comforts, don’t forget God. Whatever be the circumstances, never give up worship of God.
956. If you think that pleasurable objects of the world are giving you happiness, you become unhappy in their absence. What you have to seek is the happiness which is not related to any worldly object. Otherwise, the result will be unhappiness only.
957. If a man thinks of something constantly in his mind, its shape will reflect on his face.
958. When man becomes egotistic, his voice will become hoarse. That will affect his mind also.
959. Speak about your own faults and always praise the glories of God. God will soon be pleased with you.
960. Praise God when your happiness ends, when your unhappiness ends and also when your life end.
961. Take refuge in God. This is the greatest duty of man. It is God’s duty too, to accept the refugee as His own.
962. Gift of food and clothing to others is a noble act. But the noblest gift one can give is the stories of God. Great devotees of God are those who give out the stories of God without expecting anything in return.
963. Make God your debtor. Don’t make yourself a debtor to God by begging something from Him.
964. By constant worship of God, the body of the devotee becomes divine.
965. Delusion demands pleasures; love demands renunciation. Delusion intensifies in union; love intensifies in separation.
966. When anger leaves you, greed also goes with it. But desire does not go. If you want to defeat desires, you must take refuge in Lord Krishna. Take only moderate food. Remain in solitude. Overcome sleep. Read RasaPanchadhyayi at midnight. Carnal desires are usually aroused around midnight. At that time you must necessarily worship Lord Krishna. Desires will flee only when His names are heard
.967. Don’t be proud of beauty. If you belittle any creature, you cannot acquire devotion. Humility and simplicity are the aids to the path of devotion.
968. Don’t look at anyone with a faulty vision. It is a sin to think of this body which is merely skin. On seeing shapes (bodies) emotions arise in your mind. This world is never a beautiful thing. God alone is beautiful.
969. Whenever you perform any noble action, you must tell yourself:- “God is making me an instrument for the performance of this action.”
970. Do not entertain any desire either to live long or to die early.
971. Sinners commit sins even when walking along the road. Good men perform good actions even when walking along the road. Don’t look at anybody when you are walking along the road.
972. God will fulfill all your good intentions. Man’s hunger is his egotism. That hunger makes him feel that all others should respect him. But when man is honoured by God, that hunger will subside and his egotism will be shattered.
973. You should not have the desire to know what the world tells about you. If someone gives a good opinion about you, you become happy and you will have goodwill to that person. If it is the opposite you will have ill will against him.
974. Keep in touch with God, somehow or other.
975. A son gives a little happiness but more sorrow.
976. In which attitude you think of God, God accepts you in the same attitude.
977. He is the rich one, who like Akroora, is honoured in the council of God. Those who are honoured by the world tend to become proud and that leads to their downfall.
978. Ordinary water is not suitable for washing our mind. Tears of love flowing out of our eyes incessantly will wash out the impurities of both mind and eyes.
979. Insulting others is a nefarious act. This is divine law. If a man commits sin using a particular sense organ, he will suffer sorrow on account of the same organ.
980. If a man’s mind is impure, that mind will be restless at the time of his death.
981. How should love be expressed? Learn this from the conduct of Bala Rama and Sree Krishna.
982. Intellect becomes crooked when it follows the senses. When it follows God, it becomes straight again.
983. Thakshaka, the serpent in the form death will come and bite every one. This will definitely happen on any one of the seven days of the week. When black hairs turn white, when teeth begin to fall, take it as a notice for the arrival of death. At least on receipt of notice from death, one must start worshipping God.
984. He is Kamsa, who enjoys pleasures by hurting others. Today their number is on the increase. Consequently, man has to face unending dangers on account of his desire, anger and other allied vices.
985. If your words and deeds are not alike, those words will have no power. The mistake of those who try to put Jnana (knowledge) into practice is this. They would hold discussions on spirituality while living in luxurious bungalows. This is not correct. Instead of putting too much theoretical knowledge into your head, it is better to put into practice whatever knowledge you have acquired. Whatever advice Lord Krishna had given to the world, He had put into practice all of them in His life.
986. What has man to do? He must serve godly persons having good spiritual power. Knowledge is achieved only through service. Knowledge acquired through one’s own efforts will generate egotism. On the other hand, knowledge achieved by the service of great men will give humility and discrimination.
987. Today teachers who should impart knowledge are living in luxury. So the students also live in luxury. But control of senses is essential for students.
988. Control of senses is the main factor for God-realization. If the student does not have this he cannot get knowledge. Therefore, develop control of senses and detachment. Having once given up any worldly pleasure, take care not to enjoy it again. It is equivalent to eating the spew.
989. A solemn atmosphere will purify the mind. Polluted atmosphere will likewise pollute the mind.
990. Jnana (knowledge) is not for preaching. True Jnanis(learned) will never be proud of their knowledge
.991. Love likes to remain concealed. However it automatically gets revealed very often.
992. Knowledge without Bhakti is worldliness only.
993. A Jnani(learned man) always speaks little. When Jnana(knowledge) is blessed by its mother Bhakti, Jnani becomes silent.
994. The so called Jnanis do not surrender themselves to God.Their mind is deluded by the thought that “I am a learned man”. Because of this feeling of pride, humility evades them. Good qualities will shine forth only when they are combined with humility. When pride is dominating in a person, only bad qualities will show up.
995. In union, we see with our external eyes; in separation we see with our mind’s eyes
(Continued to 10)
Tenth Skandha(First Half)
(Translation by Shri: PNB Nair)
803. Husband and wife should love each other. But mere physical attachment is not love. Today the word “love” has been corrupted very much. When you are governed by emotions and tendencies, you cannot realize the value of true love. A life without love is delusion.
804. A yogi will not become a rogi.(sick) If a yogi gets some disease, it means that he has erred in the path of Yoga.
805. A thoughtful man should think of Lord Krishna only at all times. If a man goes into a trance, with eyes wide open, while sitting in meditation, that condition is genuine Samadhi
.806. A true Bhakta does not fear death. He will welcome death with pleasure.
807. He is true Bhakta, who sees his own faults and praises the merits of others.
808. The body of the one who makes others happy by the purity of his thoughts, words and actions will naturally become the abode of God.
809. There are many obstacles in the path of Jnana(knowledge). Self realization will be possible only through total renunciation and control of all the eleven senses.
810. If you receive the blessings of all, there will be God’s presence in your house. Don’t make cause for any one to criticize you.
811. Respect everyone. The greatest gift that we can give to anyone is respect. In truth, all beings are different manifestations of God. With this conviction, we must respect all.
812. Take care to see that actions of others do not disturb your peace of mind.
813. Avoid all actions that may cause unhappiness to others.
814. If God is in your mind, you will forget hunger and thirst.
815. Pure body and mind are nothing but Mathura and Gokul.
816. There will be no injustice in the kingdom of God. Whatever happens there will be just and fair.
817. Pilgrimage to holy places is good. But along with that it should be ensured that our body and mind are also kept as pure as the holy places.
818. When Lord Sri Krishna is residing in your mind there will be no trace of unhappiness in it.
819. The best time for meditation of God is Brahma muhurtha( one-and-a –half hours prior to sun-rise).It is necessary to do meditation for at least half an hour during this period. If you do this regularly for twelve years, you will have the experience of God.
820. God has given you wealth in order to spend it for poor- feeding and other noble purposes.
821. Mahatmas (great men) cannot be tested on the basis of their caste or creed. Their greatness is in their eyes and thoughts.
822. When four eyes meet at one place, you experience Ananda(Bliss)
823. Ordinary beings remain separate from God. So they are afflicted by fear.
824. When you see friends don’t tell them about your comforts. Only enquire about their comforts
.825. When you return from distant places bring something special for God. If you do so your life at that place will have the fragrance of Bhakti.
826. There is no other thing as sacred as Jnana(knowledge).Bhakti comes out of pure Jnana.
827. Look at women not as mere females, but as the images of Parasakti. (Superior cosmic power.)
828. When the desire for enjoying unrighteous and unlawful pleasures arises in you, and you eat food merely for satisfying the taste of your tongue, take it that Poothana (not pure) is dominating your tongue.
829. When your mind finds pleasure in listening to dreadful and wanton conversation, it means that Poothana is dominating your ears.
830. If you pay more attention to the leather (Body), you will become a cobbler in your next birth. Therefore, instead of wasting time for pampering the body, worship God as much as possible.
831. The one whose mind is poisonous and body alone is beautiful, she is Poothana. The one whose appearance is beautiful while actions are cruel, she is Poothana. The one who praises anyone on seeing face to face, but insults later on is Poothana.
832. Don’t be deluded by the external beauty of a person and believe that person to be pure internally too.
833. As man is a heap of tendencies, his downfall is quick. Poothana makes her appearance through the eyes.
834. When we are able to see God in everything, then only we can derive the joy of ‘seeing’.
835. Jiva (the soul) is egotistic Even though there is nothing of its own, poor thing! It takes pride in everything.
836. Wishing happiness to others is the characteristic of true devotees of God
.837. One who,by the grace of God, is able to see God in everything, will be accepted by the Goddess of Bhakti as her own.
838. Jiva (the soul) has no right to deal with Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth). If it does so, Lakshmi will vanish immediately.
839. Cow’s urine purifies everything. Drinking and bathing in cow’s urine will eradicate diseases. It is useful for purifying the mind also. By drinking cow’s urine 108 times you get relief from all sins. Do this for six months.
840. If you waste your time on ‘fashion’ and allied bad habits, you cannot progress in the path of Bhakti.
841. On festival days, make good use of your thoughts, words and seeds. Think of God for a longer time than usual. Give food to the poor. Invite holy men to your house, pay them respects and offer them food and clothing.
842. ‘Poor and destitute’ are the children of God. We should be ashamed to call them so. Whatever we give them should be given with humility and respect, fixing our eyes on the ground.
843. If the desire to receive arises in you, it is called Moha (delusion). If your desire is always to give, that is called Prema(love)
844. If you misuse your wealth, Lakshmi( goddess of wealth will forsake you.
845. There is a golden opportunity in everybody’s life when luck becomes favourable. Without wasting that occasion, give all that you have to your fellow creatures lavishly and spread the message of universal love. If luck is not in your favour, you cannot earn anything however much you desire to do so.
846. God will be pleased if you pay your homage to holy men and Brahmins.
847. Married life is not for enjoyment. On the contrary, it should be used for the worship of God. If the chariot of marriage goes astray, it will topple down.
848. If importance is given for carnal pleasures, know that the chariot is going astray. Even after realizing that you are moving in the opposite direction, if you continue the same path, the chariot will definitely fall into deep pit.
849. If the memory of anything comes to your mind when you are about to sleep at night, that is the thing in which your mind finds more pleasure. The mind of a greedy person finds pleasure in wealth while that of a lustful person in women. What gives more pleasure to your mind in the waking state, that you will see in your dream also. A man’s character can be determined from the dreams he sees.
850. A right seeker gets his first vision of God in his dreams.
851. Recite the names of God while cooking your food. Sing the sweet songs on Krishnabhakti(devotion to Lord Krishna) melodiously.
852. While performing your duties maintain your devotion also. This is known as Maryada bhakti( limited devotion)
853. God will appear before you in any form. So you must respect everyone. If not you will be deceived.
854. Those who waste money for carnal pleasures are Rakshasas.(demons)
855. God will never part with a true spiritual seeker. But God will forsake those who are not sincere in spiritual practices. Anyone who takes pride in his spirituality will also be forsaken by God. So be careful not to take pride in your spiritual practices.
856. If you are not able to detach yourself from worldly bonds during your life time, it would not be possible after death also.
857. The world is wonderful. What you can see with your eyes closed is the world. The world that is deep-rooted in your mind is a strong impediment.
858. Bhakti(devotion) cannot reach perfection without Bhavana (imagination).
859. Your mind does not part with you even in your death.
860. The mind becomes free from all thoughts when you are in deep sleep. That is why you get the experience of happiness during sleep.
861. The mind exists because of its thoughts on worldly objects. There fore, when worldly objects are forsaken, the mind ceases to exist.
862. The mind always needs a support. There fore, withdraw the mind from negative thoughts and lead it to positive thoughts.
863. Yoga is difficult for pleasure-mongers. First pre-requisite for Yoga is celibacy. He who acts contrary to this principle will be afflicted by serious diseases leading to disaster.
864. Do not show hatred towards anyone in this world.
865. Give up the desire to enjoy worldly pleasures.
866. A spiritual seeker should not get involved in the mesh of unnecessary arguments. Thinking of worldly objects is the practice of mind from time immemorial. Induce that mind to listen to the stories and think of Lord Krishna. When the nectar of Sri Krishna’s stories falls on your ears, thoughts of worldly objects will automatically disappear.
867. Your senses being Gopis, join them with Lord Krishna.
868. Time will deceive you once. At that time you will have to leave your house with tears. Those who know this truth will, renounce the house well in time.
869. Like YasodDevi(Foster-mother of Lord Krishna)you should try to see God even while performing your normal duties.
870. Each and every action of a Bhakta (Devotee) is soaked in Bhakti(Devotion), because all his actions are performed under the orders from God.
871. Man falls into dangers when his intellect rejects God and seeks worldly objects.
872. Man does not see God because he is not praying with a pure heart.
873. God gives every thing, even to a wicked man, with the expectation that his soul might recover from its fall and improve in the near future.
874. God does not accept a man as His without testing.
875. How much sin does a man commit for the sake of a little money? Several small sins combined together become a great sin. Oh! Man! Even if you do not do anything good, it will be a good thing if you can desist from committing sins.
876. God is the only one who deserves to be loved. Because of your love towards worldly things, you have to spend most of your life in tears.
877. A soul gets a human body when papa and punya (merits and demerits of past actions) are equal. When you start experiencing grief, take it that your papa is being mitigated.
878. When you are engaged in household affairs, you cannot remember any other thing. But when you are engaged in Japa( recital of God’s names) you remember only household affairs and allied worldly matters.
879. Even when sitting for meditation on God, man is often thinking of the worldly pleasures that he has experienced. Human nature is generally to forget God, on the pretext that of meditating on God.
880. It is also human nature to seek for anything that is not easy to get.
881. God never forgets man. But man unnecessarily burns his heart by engaging himself in useless thoughts.
882. If you lose everything in the service of God, never mind .That is a blessing of God. But if your service of God is only for the sake of food, that is not service.
883. When you develop distaste for worldly matters, you get the taste of God. When that taste is full, God will take care of your worldly affairs also.
884. Bhakti in the form of love, binds God to our hearts. Jnana and Yoga have no power to bind God in this manner. Bhakti means Shakti(Power)
885. God is free from all desires while the soul is full of desires.
886. Man’s love is fragmented or scattered among many things. Some of his love goes to wife and children come for various luxuries of life and finally not a bit of love remains for God.
887. Money earned through unfair means leads to three main vices, viz. gambling, immorality and addiction to liquor and meat.
888. Blinded by money-power, man forgets that his body is mortal and subject to decay. So he hurts other fellow creatures He who realizes that this body belongs to God and has to be used for the service of God, is the most fortunate person.
889. Those who use their time and money solely for enjoyment of worldly pleasures will take birth as trees in their next incarnation. Sinners necessarily have to take re-birth as trees, because trees are said to be in the Papa Yoni. (Sinful womb)
890. If someone cries for Kannaya (Lord Krishna), sitting in solitude, then Kannaya will rush to his side and console him.
891. Never beg to God for anything. Recollect the helps done by God to us, time and again. You can bind God only with the rope of Love.
892. Do not eat your food without sharing it with others. If you share your food joyfully with others, your satisfaction will be thousand times more than what you get by eating alone
.893. While circum-ambulating in the temples, keep on chanting the Names of God.
894. Man observes certain discipline in his food; but not in his worship. If a man eats his food without worshipping God, he is eating sin.
895. You must tell the story of your grief to God only, in private. Never talk about it to others.
896. When you surrender the fruits of your actions to God, He will give you everything including Himself. When you surrender the fruits of your good actions to God, He will fill your coffers with valuable gems.
897. Never entertain the desire to enjoy the fruits of your actions already surrendered to God. When you perform each and every action on behalf of God, that action will take shape as Bhakti.
898. You can do whatever you want to do. But take care not to move away from God. Then all your actions will turn into Bhakti.
899. Man is affected by sinful thoughts when he becomes weak. Make it a habit to think of God at least for five minutes at the beginning of each hour during the day. This will ward off all sins from you.
900. You must be happy always, whatever be the circumstances in which God has placed you. Make all your actions be subjected to the will of God. You don’t know the results of your actions; but God knows.
901. Sound and its echo are alike. If you have ill will towards others, they will also have ill will towards you.
902. You must be active always. If your body is not tired of day-long activity, you cannot get good sleep. If you remain idle, you will be fall in the grip of sinful thoughts. Good actions will give good sleep. That sleep will lead you in the path of Bhakti.
903. When the culture and tendencies of previous births no longer influence you, you will derive happiness from your actions.
904. When your children are five years old, you must try to inculcate the culture of righteousness in them. Don’t give them rice as food on Ekadasi days. Parents who do not give instructions to their children in the path of Bhakti and righteous living are their enemies.
905. Impressions formed in a child’s mind are long-lasting. A child’s mind is very tender. Good culture inculcated in childhood will make the youth glorious.
906. The company of great men you protect you from down fall. The fear of fall is only when you walk alone. If you walk holding the hands of God, there is no need for any fear.
907. God exhorts all living creatures to His side through the melodious sound of His divine flute. But this sound does not reach the ears of those creatures that are enchanted by the attraction of worldly objects.
908. Do not reject any one. That is the main requirement of Bhakt.
909. There is no greater sin than arrogance. All other sins have atonement; but not for arrogance.
910. He, whose body is handsome but mind is wicked, is Bakasura.
911. Where ignorance and arrogance are reigning, that is the kingdom of sin.
912. Arrogance will show up when fame and greed for wealth are on the increase.
913. When man is about to commit a sin, his conscience will warn him against it. But because of man’s weakness, he is not able to desist from the sin. As a consequence, mishaps constantly attack him. A true Bhakta (devotee) is on who does not allow shelter to sin in his mind.
914. Soul and senses are mutually related. Therefore, the soul is unable to prevent the sinful actions of the senses. It simply remains as a mere witness.
915. Cut off any sinful thought from the mind as soon as it occurs. Once sin enters into the mind of any one, it will never leave him. But there is one remedy for it. That is to go and weep before the Lord.
916. If a sinful thought is allowed to remain in the mind even for a short while, it will be very difficult to get rid of it later.
917. The mind is always with you. Therefore, wherever you go, it will, continue to induce you to commit sin.
918. When guided by tendencies, you will tend to commit sins, even if your conscience forbids. Divine knowledge is often swept away in the current of tendencies. Therefore, you have no hesitation to commit sins. Strangely enough, you don’t even get peace of mind without committing sin! What is the remedy for this? The only remedy is to make God a witness to all your actions.
919. No action is possible without pronouncing a sound. If not by your tongue, you are always making sound with your mind. Therefore, before committing any sin either your tongue or mind will make the sound of it. If you want, you can get rid of that sin then and there.
920. Everyone knows that telling a lie is sin. Similarly, it is well known that hurting others is also sin. Nevertheless, the weakness of your mind makes you commit such sins.
921. If you have committed a sin by chance, recite the names of God. Make God the witness to all your actions. If you do so, God will take away your tendency to commit sin.
922. Sins already committed will not be mitigated without suffering the punishment for them. But if you surrender both the punya(merits) and papa(demerits) of your actions to God, they will not affect you.
923. If you receive the mercy of holy men and evolved souls, you will be freed from the tendency to commit sins.
924. Your tendency to commit sins arises from desire and anger. Both are born out of Rajo guna (the quality of restiveness).So you must always try to eradicate Rajoguna and cultivate Sattwa guna (the quality of solemnness)925. If you can derive happiness from the worship of God at least once, the whole world will then appear to you as quite silly. People go after worldly objects for happiness, only because they are unable to find happiness from worship of God.
926. A woman who cannot see God in her husband cannot feel the presence of God in other images also.
927. The more you enjoy worldly pleasures, the more is your tendency to commit sins. Reduce the enjoyment of pleasures and your sins also will get reduced.
928. Try to check all your bad habits. Try to curtail the urge that ‘’I want more, I want more”. This will make you happy.
929. To see only “things” is the nature of soul. God sees not “things”, but only “attitudes”
930. If God has given you sufficient wealth, use it for rearing cows. Service to cows will ward off all fears such as untimely death and other similar mishaps.
931. If a man having immense wealth in his possession chooses to enjoy it without giving anything to others, he is Dhenuka Asura. Asses like him will consider the body as the greatest wealth.
932. This world is like a wild fire. It encompasses and burns the creatures from all the four sides. Burning from all sides, this terrifying fire destroys everyone. Therefore, close your eyes and loudly recite the holy names of God. God will put out this wildfire which comes to us in the form of woes
.933. If you can remain totally absorbed in the recital of God’s names, this wild fire will not affect you.
934. Do not collect the poison of hatred in your heart.
935. A woman who takes her husband to the presence of God or to the company of godly men is the real wife.
936. A real housewife is the woman who leads her husband in the spiritual path and encourages him to perform good actions. A wife who entangles her husband in worldly pleasures is his enemy.
937. Bliss cannot be experienced unless the worshipper and worshipped become one. This is the first step to enter into the realm of God.
938. Food shall never be disrespected and left over food shall never be served to god-men
939. If you have to depend on something, depend on God’s holy feet only; nothing else.
940. Look at every woman as your mother. Then carnal desires will not arise in your mind. So also, try to see Lord Krishna in every thing.
941. The time between 11PM and 3.30AM is not suitable for taking bath and food.
942. Man’s greatest enemy is desire. All other bad qualities come from that. Loss of Budhi (discriminative power) is its ultimate result.
943. A Pathivratha (a woman who is faithful to her husband without blemish) can convert even God into a child.
944. Love intensifies during separation. Separation is beneficial while re-union is sometimes detrimental (to love)945. If the seeker’s mind is restless while meditating on God, he will not get the vision of God. He will see only darkness. But the meditation should be continued without getting disappointed. Gradually the light of God will become visible to you.
946. He who is dominated by Rajoguna can see only faults, even in faultless things.
947. Do not waste your time on worldly talks and thoughts. If you waste the most valuable time, how can you uplift yourself in this birth?
948. The reason for all the unrest of today is forgetting God.
949. By Sadhana (spiritual practices) you get many Sidhis (supernatural powers). If you are not carried away by these powers, you will get God in the end. So carry on with your spiritual practices, without being enamored of the Sidhis.
950. Do not trust your mind till the last breath. If you trust the mind, it will throw you into a dark pit.
951. You must continue your prayers and worship of God till the last day of your life. Your prayer must be like this:-“Oh God! Bless me to continue my prayers, worship and recital of thy names till my last breath.” Let death come at any time.
952. By spiritual practice man gets many powers. Some get word power. That makes them famous. People start running after them. So they become proud of their word power. Pride is the first step towards their downfall. Their followers start praising them. The poor soul thinks that he has become great. This brings about his total downfall.
953. When love of God increases, the seeker gets the feeling that God belongs to him. At the culmination of Sadhana, this feeling changes and he will see his God and himself as one single entity. Even after this experience of identification with God, the seeker does not stop his spiritual practices. Because, he knows that as soon as he stops Sadhana, Maya (delusion) will catch hold of him.
954. However, most people show the tendency to stop spiritual practices after reaching its culmination.
955. When you get wealth and comforts, don’t forget God. Whatever be the circumstances, never give up worship of God.
956. If you think that pleasurable objects of the world are giving you happiness, you become unhappy in their absence. What you have to seek is the happiness which is not related to any worldly object. Otherwise, the result will be unhappiness only.
957. If a man thinks of something constantly in his mind, its shape will reflect on his face.
958. When man becomes egotistic, his voice will become hoarse. That will affect his mind also.
959. Speak about your own faults and always praise the glories of God. God will soon be pleased with you.
960. Praise God when your happiness ends, when your unhappiness ends and also when your life end.
961. Take refuge in God. This is the greatest duty of man. It is God’s duty too, to accept the refugee as His own.
962. Gift of food and clothing to others is a noble act. But the noblest gift one can give is the stories of God. Great devotees of God are those who give out the stories of God without expecting anything in return.
963. Make God your debtor. Don’t make yourself a debtor to God by begging something from Him.
964. By constant worship of God, the body of the devotee becomes divine.
965. Delusion demands pleasures; love demands renunciation. Delusion intensifies in union; love intensifies in separation.
966. When anger leaves you, greed also goes with it. But desire does not go. If you want to defeat desires, you must take refuge in Lord Krishna. Take only moderate food. Remain in solitude. Overcome sleep. Read RasaPanchadhyayi at midnight. Carnal desires are usually aroused around midnight. At that time you must necessarily worship Lord Krishna. Desires will flee only when His names are heard
.967. Don’t be proud of beauty. If you belittle any creature, you cannot acquire devotion. Humility and simplicity are the aids to the path of devotion.
968. Don’t look at anyone with a faulty vision. It is a sin to think of this body which is merely skin. On seeing shapes (bodies) emotions arise in your mind. This world is never a beautiful thing. God alone is beautiful.
969. Whenever you perform any noble action, you must tell yourself:- “God is making me an instrument for the performance of this action.”
970. Do not entertain any desire either to live long or to die early.
971. Sinners commit sins even when walking along the road. Good men perform good actions even when walking along the road. Don’t look at anybody when you are walking along the road.
972. God will fulfill all your good intentions. Man’s hunger is his egotism. That hunger makes him feel that all others should respect him. But when man is honoured by God, that hunger will subside and his egotism will be shattered.
973. You should not have the desire to know what the world tells about you. If someone gives a good opinion about you, you become happy and you will have goodwill to that person. If it is the opposite you will have ill will against him.
974. Keep in touch with God, somehow or other.
975. A son gives a little happiness but more sorrow.
976. In which attitude you think of God, God accepts you in the same attitude.
977. He is the rich one, who like Akroora, is honoured in the council of God. Those who are honoured by the world tend to become proud and that leads to their downfall.
978. Ordinary water is not suitable for washing our mind. Tears of love flowing out of our eyes incessantly will wash out the impurities of both mind and eyes.
979. Insulting others is a nefarious act. This is divine law. If a man commits sin using a particular sense organ, he will suffer sorrow on account of the same organ.
980. If a man’s mind is impure, that mind will be restless at the time of his death.
981. How should love be expressed? Learn this from the conduct of Bala Rama and Sree Krishna.
982. Intellect becomes crooked when it follows the senses. When it follows God, it becomes straight again.
983. Thakshaka, the serpent in the form death will come and bite every one. This will definitely happen on any one of the seven days of the week. When black hairs turn white, when teeth begin to fall, take it as a notice for the arrival of death. At least on receipt of notice from death, one must start worshipping God.
984. He is Kamsa, who enjoys pleasures by hurting others. Today their number is on the increase. Consequently, man has to face unending dangers on account of his desire, anger and other allied vices.
985. If your words and deeds are not alike, those words will have no power. The mistake of those who try to put Jnana (knowledge) into practice is this. They would hold discussions on spirituality while living in luxurious bungalows. This is not correct. Instead of putting too much theoretical knowledge into your head, it is better to put into practice whatever knowledge you have acquired. Whatever advice Lord Krishna had given to the world, He had put into practice all of them in His life.
986. What has man to do? He must serve godly persons having good spiritual power. Knowledge is achieved only through service. Knowledge acquired through one’s own efforts will generate egotism. On the other hand, knowledge achieved by the service of great men will give humility and discrimination.
987. Today teachers who should impart knowledge are living in luxury. So the students also live in luxury. But control of senses is essential for students.
988. Control of senses is the main factor for God-realization. If the student does not have this he cannot get knowledge. Therefore, develop control of senses and detachment. Having once given up any worldly pleasure, take care not to enjoy it again. It is equivalent to eating the spew.
989. A solemn atmosphere will purify the mind. Polluted atmosphere will likewise pollute the mind.
990. Jnana (knowledge) is not for preaching. True Jnanis(learned) will never be proud of their knowledge
.991. Love likes to remain concealed. However it automatically gets revealed very often.
992. Knowledge without Bhakti is worldliness only.
993. A Jnani(learned man) always speaks little. When Jnana(knowledge) is blessed by its mother Bhakti, Jnani becomes silent.
994. The so called Jnanis do not surrender themselves to God.Their mind is deluded by the thought that “I am a learned man”. Because of this feeling of pride, humility evades them. Good qualities will shine forth only when they are combined with humility. When pride is dominating in a person, only bad qualities will show up.
995. In union, we see with our external eyes; in separation we see with our mind’s eyes
(Continued to 10)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
BHAGAVATHA DHARMAM-8
CHAPTER VIII:
The Ninth Skandha:
(Trnslation by Shri: P.N. Balakrishnan Nair)
:723. Those who make good use of the God-given gifts like time, wealth, strength etc. are Devas (god-like men).Those who misuse them are Rakshasas (demon-like men)
724. When there is lust in your mind, you can see only lust everywhere.
725. You should always maintain the limits of morality as exemplified by Lord Sri Rama.
726. When we emulate the example set by Mahatmas (great souls) our natural tendencies will subside. But the minutest tendencies deep-rooted in mind and intellect will still remain. Mind will become pure only by ultimate knowledge. Never entertain the feeling that your mind is pure.
727. Worship properly the Moon which is governing deity of the mind and SuryaNarayana (the sun-god) which is the governing deity of the intellect. The intellect gets easily purified for those who perform the worship at the three Sandhyas ( Sun-rise, mid-day and sunset)
728. Where there is Bhakti (devotion),there you get the protection of Jnana (knowledge) in the form of Sudarsana (the divine wheel of Vishnu)
729. A real Vaishnava(devotee of Lord Vishnu) will not see the faults of others. He will see his own faults again and again.
730. Those who pursue the course to attain God should totally avoid the company of lustful men and women. They should avoid the company of not only women, but also those men who always keep company with women.
731. It is difficult to develop Bhakti when you live among lustful and luxurious people. There is no reason for disappointment even if you don’t get the company of good men. But make it sure that you don’t get into the company of lustful men.
732. The woman who insults her husband by cruel words will be born as a female crow in her next birth.
733. When you build a house for you imagine that it is Ayodhya.If you live on the banks of the river of Bhakti your body also will become Ayodhya.
734. Human life is momentary. Remember this truth always and put on the garment of Bhakti. Humility is the ornament that adorns Bhakti.
735. Depend upon God only. Never depend upon your mind. If you depend upon your mind, your downfall is certain.
736. God always resides in those who try to make others happy and comfortable.
737. In grief, God’s sacred Names will give you great relief.
738. Both men and women should live within the moral limits prescribed for them.
739. Bhakti which disregards the Dharmic limits has no value and is useless.
740. If any person has all good qualities present in him, that person is none other than God.
741. Make all efforts to emulate all the good qualities of Lord Sri Rama in your life.
742. While man performs meritorious acts on one side, he commits sins also through the other side. So the ultimate result gets nullified.
743. Parents are visible forms of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Narayana. So they should be worshipped with purity of thought, word and deed.
744. Man should strictly adhere to one wife in his life. A house-holder, who enjoys worldly pleasures in accordance with the moral code prescribed by the scriptures, is in effect a celibate person.
745. Being faultless is the quality of God. If you happen to see any fault in your Guru preceptor) that alone should not be emulated by you.
746. Women should not touch the feet of any man other than their husband, even if it happens to be a great man. They should prostrate before such people without touching their feet. This is the injunction of scriptures.
747. Never hurt the feelings of Mahatmas.
748. Every word in the Ramayana has the power to redeem our sins.
749. You must invariably give up enmity and hatred.
750. If you happen to speak or hear about drinking poison, recite the names of Rama with love. Then nectar will ooze from your throat and that will neutralize the poison.
751. You must regard elder brother as Rama and younger brothers as Bharata and Lakshmana.
752. Bharath is the land of action. Whatever action you perform here will definitely bear fruit
.753. What you think about others; that others will think about you too.
754. Love is not accepting something from others. Always giving is the sign of love. Love is broken when emotions, tendencies and selfishness crop up.
755. Those who wish to see others happy will never be unhappy.
756. Prarabdha (result of past actions) has necessarily to be suffered. But take care not to acquire new Prarabdha.
757. Detachment is to be kept within one’s own self. It is not to be displayed for convincing others.
758. If you want to be happy, you should first cultivate in yourself, contentment, forbearance, egalitarianism and the habit of doing good to others.
759. If you will respect everybody, your life will be as sweet as sugar-candy.
760. If the very sight of a person can change your character, that person is none other than God. If you can always think of Sri Rama, you can see the whole world as your mother.
761. Try to install God in your eyes, ears and face.
762. By worshipping and meditating on whom all your worldly desires subside, that person is God.
763. That intellect, which is deeply immersed in the thoughts of carnal pleasures, is blunt and life-less.
764. Those who are unable to live without thinking of God and worshipping Him are Vaishnavas(true devotees)
765. Diseases keep away from those who worship Tulasi plant daily.
766. One who makes others cry without cause is Ravana. He who boasts himself and compels others to praise his glories is also Ravana.
767. If there is no similarity between the habits of husband and wife their marriage cannot be successful. Marriage is the unification two minds dwelling in two different bodies.
768. When you praise the parents of your wife, she becomes happy. Similarly, if you love the world, you will be loved by the world.
769. When the hairs near your ears become grey, remember that you are approaching old age.7
70. There is no end for desires.
771. God forgives even the greatest mistakes committed by man.
772. Ultimate Truth is simple. But the worldly activities are complicated. So even while in the midst of activities, keep thinking of God.
773. Life is not beautiful without penance.
774. Cause of man’s happiness and unhappiness is his own actions.
775. The species in which a soul takes birth is dependent on its past actions.
776. The results of past actions must be endured inevitably.
777. Man’s life has to be bound by certain moral principles. A man whose life is unprincipled is worse than animal.
778. Too much of reading and understanding leads to pride. This is hindrance to Bhakti.
779. Those who are struggling in worldly matters are wasting their time and money. He who is reluctant to serve Lord Hari, wastes the whole of his life, doing only harm to others.
780. A man’s mind has to be tested with reference to his food and other habits. That is to say, your character can be guessed from your food and other habits.
781. If the worldly pleasures appear to you as sweet, you cannot have Bhakti.
782. Worldly pleasures by themselves are not harmful. Excessive desire for them is harmful.
783. Bhakti without detachment cannot thrive.
784. Vasana(tendencies), like Soorpanakha would appear beautiful in the beginning. Later it will reveal its true colour.
785. Worship of God is not for convincing others; but for pleasing only God.
786. Man cannot live without love. But, instead of loving God, man loves everything other than God and consequently he is subjected to terrible sorrow. Love of God can be developed by curtailing the love of worldly things little by little.
787. Without realizing one’s own faults, one cannot see God. Finding fault with others is an obstruction to the vision of God.
788. He who dies with a tendency to hate others cannot reach God’s abode. So take the vow that “I will not hate anyone”.
789. It is difficult to remain detached amongst the people attached to worldliness. Your eyes and body might commit sins unknowingly, however hard you may try to control them.
790. Recite the holy names of God and think of noble things before retiring to sleep at night and rising from bed in the morning.
791. It is a sin to insult food.
792. Showing insult or disrespect towards holy men will lead to total annihilation.
793. Avoid cooking food on Ekadasi day(eleventh day after a Full moon or New moon).
794. Try to be innocent and impervious like children.
795. Faults enter into our mind through the eyes. So keep a control over the eyes. Then life will become faultless.
796. It is good for house-holders to read Ayodhya Kanda in Ramayanam daily. That will be helpful to avoid quarrels in the house.
797. It is difficult to lead a peaceful life without spending a term in the forest. Therefore, go to some forest area on the bank of a river and spend one month every year worshipping God.
798. Neck does not become adorned by ornaments. The real ornaments that will adorn the neck are recital of God’s names and observance of celibacy.
799. Your old age will be glorious if you have controlled carnal desires in the youth. Efforts for uplifting the soul should start from younger days.
800. In spite of getting a human body, running after worldly pleasures is equivalent to exchanging nectar for poison.
801. Man’s desires and greed do not become old even in his old age. Tendency for enjoying pleasures does not diminish by enjoyment. It only increases just as fire in a pyre burns with more intensity when ghee is poured into it. In fact you are not enjoying pleasures; the pleasures are enjoying you. Greed does not reduce. You are getting reduced.
802. Listening to the stories of God can be a test for your defects. If you can shed tears of joy while hearing the stories of God, know that you are listening properly.
(To be continued)
The Ninth Skandha:
(Trnslation by Shri: P.N. Balakrishnan Nair)
:723. Those who make good use of the God-given gifts like time, wealth, strength etc. are Devas (god-like men).Those who misuse them are Rakshasas (demon-like men)
724. When there is lust in your mind, you can see only lust everywhere.
725. You should always maintain the limits of morality as exemplified by Lord Sri Rama.
726. When we emulate the example set by Mahatmas (great souls) our natural tendencies will subside. But the minutest tendencies deep-rooted in mind and intellect will still remain. Mind will become pure only by ultimate knowledge. Never entertain the feeling that your mind is pure.
727. Worship properly the Moon which is governing deity of the mind and SuryaNarayana (the sun-god) which is the governing deity of the intellect. The intellect gets easily purified for those who perform the worship at the three Sandhyas ( Sun-rise, mid-day and sunset)
728. Where there is Bhakti (devotion),there you get the protection of Jnana (knowledge) in the form of Sudarsana (the divine wheel of Vishnu)
729. A real Vaishnava(devotee of Lord Vishnu) will not see the faults of others. He will see his own faults again and again.
730. Those who pursue the course to attain God should totally avoid the company of lustful men and women. They should avoid the company of not only women, but also those men who always keep company with women.
731. It is difficult to develop Bhakti when you live among lustful and luxurious people. There is no reason for disappointment even if you don’t get the company of good men. But make it sure that you don’t get into the company of lustful men.
732. The woman who insults her husband by cruel words will be born as a female crow in her next birth.
733. When you build a house for you imagine that it is Ayodhya.If you live on the banks of the river of Bhakti your body also will become Ayodhya.
734. Human life is momentary. Remember this truth always and put on the garment of Bhakti. Humility is the ornament that adorns Bhakti.
735. Depend upon God only. Never depend upon your mind. If you depend upon your mind, your downfall is certain.
736. God always resides in those who try to make others happy and comfortable.
737. In grief, God’s sacred Names will give you great relief.
738. Both men and women should live within the moral limits prescribed for them.
739. Bhakti which disregards the Dharmic limits has no value and is useless.
740. If any person has all good qualities present in him, that person is none other than God.
741. Make all efforts to emulate all the good qualities of Lord Sri Rama in your life.
742. While man performs meritorious acts on one side, he commits sins also through the other side. So the ultimate result gets nullified.
743. Parents are visible forms of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Narayana. So they should be worshipped with purity of thought, word and deed.
744. Man should strictly adhere to one wife in his life. A house-holder, who enjoys worldly pleasures in accordance with the moral code prescribed by the scriptures, is in effect a celibate person.
745. Being faultless is the quality of God. If you happen to see any fault in your Guru preceptor) that alone should not be emulated by you.
746. Women should not touch the feet of any man other than their husband, even if it happens to be a great man. They should prostrate before such people without touching their feet. This is the injunction of scriptures.
747. Never hurt the feelings of Mahatmas.
748. Every word in the Ramayana has the power to redeem our sins.
749. You must invariably give up enmity and hatred.
750. If you happen to speak or hear about drinking poison, recite the names of Rama with love. Then nectar will ooze from your throat and that will neutralize the poison.
751. You must regard elder brother as Rama and younger brothers as Bharata and Lakshmana.
752. Bharath is the land of action. Whatever action you perform here will definitely bear fruit
.753. What you think about others; that others will think about you too.
754. Love is not accepting something from others. Always giving is the sign of love. Love is broken when emotions, tendencies and selfishness crop up.
755. Those who wish to see others happy will never be unhappy.
756. Prarabdha (result of past actions) has necessarily to be suffered. But take care not to acquire new Prarabdha.
757. Detachment is to be kept within one’s own self. It is not to be displayed for convincing others.
758. If you want to be happy, you should first cultivate in yourself, contentment, forbearance, egalitarianism and the habit of doing good to others.
759. If you will respect everybody, your life will be as sweet as sugar-candy.
760. If the very sight of a person can change your character, that person is none other than God. If you can always think of Sri Rama, you can see the whole world as your mother.
761. Try to install God in your eyes, ears and face.
762. By worshipping and meditating on whom all your worldly desires subside, that person is God.
763. That intellect, which is deeply immersed in the thoughts of carnal pleasures, is blunt and life-less.
764. Those who are unable to live without thinking of God and worshipping Him are Vaishnavas(true devotees)
765. Diseases keep away from those who worship Tulasi plant daily.
766. One who makes others cry without cause is Ravana. He who boasts himself and compels others to praise his glories is also Ravana.
767. If there is no similarity between the habits of husband and wife their marriage cannot be successful. Marriage is the unification two minds dwelling in two different bodies.
768. When you praise the parents of your wife, she becomes happy. Similarly, if you love the world, you will be loved by the world.
769. When the hairs near your ears become grey, remember that you are approaching old age.7
70. There is no end for desires.
771. God forgives even the greatest mistakes committed by man.
772. Ultimate Truth is simple. But the worldly activities are complicated. So even while in the midst of activities, keep thinking of God.
773. Life is not beautiful without penance.
774. Cause of man’s happiness and unhappiness is his own actions.
775. The species in which a soul takes birth is dependent on its past actions.
776. The results of past actions must be endured inevitably.
777. Man’s life has to be bound by certain moral principles. A man whose life is unprincipled is worse than animal.
778. Too much of reading and understanding leads to pride. This is hindrance to Bhakti.
779. Those who are struggling in worldly matters are wasting their time and money. He who is reluctant to serve Lord Hari, wastes the whole of his life, doing only harm to others.
780. A man’s mind has to be tested with reference to his food and other habits. That is to say, your character can be guessed from your food and other habits.
781. If the worldly pleasures appear to you as sweet, you cannot have Bhakti.
782. Worldly pleasures by themselves are not harmful. Excessive desire for them is harmful.
783. Bhakti without detachment cannot thrive.
784. Vasana(tendencies), like Soorpanakha would appear beautiful in the beginning. Later it will reveal its true colour.
785. Worship of God is not for convincing others; but for pleasing only God.
786. Man cannot live without love. But, instead of loving God, man loves everything other than God and consequently he is subjected to terrible sorrow. Love of God can be developed by curtailing the love of worldly things little by little.
787. Without realizing one’s own faults, one cannot see God. Finding fault with others is an obstruction to the vision of God.
788. He who dies with a tendency to hate others cannot reach God’s abode. So take the vow that “I will not hate anyone”.
789. It is difficult to remain detached amongst the people attached to worldliness. Your eyes and body might commit sins unknowingly, however hard you may try to control them.
790. Recite the holy names of God and think of noble things before retiring to sleep at night and rising from bed in the morning.
791. It is a sin to insult food.
792. Showing insult or disrespect towards holy men will lead to total annihilation.
793. Avoid cooking food on Ekadasi day(eleventh day after a Full moon or New moon).
794. Try to be innocent and impervious like children.
795. Faults enter into our mind through the eyes. So keep a control over the eyes. Then life will become faultless.
796. It is good for house-holders to read Ayodhya Kanda in Ramayanam daily. That will be helpful to avoid quarrels in the house.
797. It is difficult to lead a peaceful life without spending a term in the forest. Therefore, go to some forest area on the bank of a river and spend one month every year worshipping God.
798. Neck does not become adorned by ornaments. The real ornaments that will adorn the neck are recital of God’s names and observance of celibacy.
799. Your old age will be glorious if you have controlled carnal desires in the youth. Efforts for uplifting the soul should start from younger days.
800. In spite of getting a human body, running after worldly pleasures is equivalent to exchanging nectar for poison.
801. Man’s desires and greed do not become old even in his old age. Tendency for enjoying pleasures does not diminish by enjoyment. It only increases just as fire in a pyre burns with more intensity when ghee is poured into it. In fact you are not enjoying pleasures; the pleasures are enjoying you. Greed does not reduce. You are getting reduced.
802. Listening to the stories of God can be a test for your defects. If you can shed tears of joy while hearing the stories of God, know that you are listening properly.
(To be continued)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
BHAGAVATHA DHARMA - 7
Bhagavatha Dharma -7 :
CHAPTER VII (Seventh and eighth Skandas)
[Translation by Shri: P.N. Balakrishnan Nair]
536. To think and say that “I have no ego” is by itself an expression of ego.
537. It is man’s pride that makes him unhappy.
538. If a man preaches Jnana (wisdom) to others and his actions are diametrically opposite to his preaching, he is a Rakshasa( devil)
539. Bhakti cannot be experienced in actual life without Jnana (knowledge) and Vairagya(detachment)
540. Money will influence the greedy, while praise influences the egoist.
541. A wife who prevents her husband from sinful acts by reasoning is called Pathni. But the wife who persuades her husband to the path of spirituality is called Dharma pathni.
542. Normally voluptuous men are easily influenced by women. It is therefore easy for a wife to bring her husband to the right path. A righteous wife, if she so desires, can lead her husband to the path of Bhakti.
543. If the basic intention of Yogic practice is not pure, that Yogi will definitely fail in his practice. One can achieve several superhuman powers through yogic practice; but not God-realization, which is the ultimate goal of human birth.
544. Man never gets satisfaction from enjoyment of pleasures. Satisfaction comes only from renunciation.
545. This world is more akin to selfishness and deception. Even the relationship between husband and wife is often found to be full of selfishness and deception.
546. A son can by his merits uplift only his own family. But a daughter can uplift not only the family of her parents but that of her husband also.
547. It is good to work for the uplift of society; but it often gives rise to ego.
548. No one gets Bhakti from the advice of any other person; Bhakti comes only through God’s grace.
549. He, whose vision is corrupted, sees the world in a perverse manner; that is to say, he sees justice as injustice and injustice as justice.
550. In old age, man becomes more attached to his body and so he becomes totally incapable of worshipping God.
551. All living creatures have to under go many births and deaths before attaining human birth, which is very rare and difficult to get.
552. We experience happiness and unhappiness depending upon the results of our past actions.
553. Worship of God is obstructed only due to the weakness of human mind.
554. Man can get rid of his wickedness with the help of God’s grace.
555. One who does not see this world as such actually sees God in it.
556. Goddess of Sleep stands in the way of listening to God’s stories and praising His glories.
557. While singing songs in praise of God, use of the correct pitch and rhythm will add impetus to
your love of God.
558. It is a good sign if you are ashamed of committing sinful actions.
559. Impurities in your mind will be eradicated by singing songs in praise of God.
560. Without singing songs in praise of God, listening to the stories of God will not be complete. (Kathanthe keerthanam kuryad= Praise the Lordat the end of His story)
561. By praising God, your sins are destroyed and your mind becomes pure. Into that pure mind God enters instantaneously.
562. Vision of God will not occur without the grace of Guru. It is therefore the essential duty of man to seek refuge in a Guru or other great souls.
563. God is the indweller of everything. Once this wonderful fact is realized, man can see the whole world as nothing but God. Thereafter he cannot find any place to commit a sin.
564. Humility and helplessness are two trusted friends of man. God will easily accept those who possess these qualities. Humility and feeling of helplessness will remove all obstacles from the path towards God.
565. Superficial knowledge may sometimes cause obstruction to the worship of God.
566. Spend your life with this strong concept:-“Let all my actions be soaked in Bhakti”.
567. When actions are pure, it is called Bhakti.
568. “My Lord is watching whatever I do”. Remember this truth while performing your duties. 569. “My Lord is listening to whatever I talk; all my actions are supported by my Lord.” When this attitude strengthens, you attain God-realization.
570. God is all-pervading; let this be your natural attitude.
571. In this world, only those who have controlled their senses can be said to be independent. Those who are independent are self-willed. Therefore, learn how to be independent under the guidance of suitable Gurus.
572. Those who eat their God-given food, without first offering it to God, will have to meet death by starvation.
573. A lighted lamp brings light to your home and heart at the same time. Service brings happiness to the one who serves.
574. You hesitate to prostrate before the Lord at the temple, because of the fear that your beautiful cloths may get soiled.
575. Only the best among best things should be offered to God.
576. If your hairs stand on end or tears drop from your eyes while praying to God, it means God has heard your prayer.
577. Cook food for the sake of God. Offer it God before eating. Take the vow that “without offering to God I will not take anything for myself.”
578. Hearing the stories of God without observing the rules for listening and understanding the essence of the stories, is a waste of time. Retain the essence of these stories carefully in your ears and mind.
579. An image of God is better than picture for worship. First think of a form of God. Make a beautiful pedestal according to your financial capacity, for placing the God’s image. Do not speak during worship. If you become body-conscious, during worship, prostrate before the Lord. (Prostration is not allowed for women).Slavish attitude towards the Lord is best suited for worship.
580. If the presence of God is not felt in the image of God, it is not possible to feel the presence of God in other beings and things.
581. If you worship God after committing sinful deeds, you will feel that God is annoyed.
582. When the mind is impure, worship of God will not give satisfaction.
583. If you forget some lines while chanting the hymns of God, prostrate before the Lord and that will make the chanting complete.
584. God accepts even your small offerings, and makes them big.
585. However much he offers to God, the feeling that “I have been able to offer only very little to my Lord” is the nature of a Bhakta.
586. Prema (Love) puts life into the lifeless.
587. Ordinary beings do not care for God and so God also does not care for them.
588. God is the only person deserving our love. If your heart melts and tears of joy drop from your eyes during prayer, take it that God has accepted your prayer.
589. All our offerings to Him are returned to us by God after multiplying them many-fold.
590. Enjoyment of pleasures increases desires and weakens the senses. Thoughts about worldly objects reduce our powers. But thoughts about God give us all powers.
591. Man exceeds all limits while enjoying worldly pleasures. So he has to suffer all the miseries arising from that. How can God become responsible for that? How can you blame God for that?592. Man loses his power of discrimination when faced with extreme grief.
593. Drink the nectar of God’s Names and Stories. Your senses will come under control.
594. When your mind is occupied by worldliness and sinful thoughts, take recourse to the pleasure of listening to stories of God and drinking the nectar of God’s names. When NamaBrahma (cosmic energy in the form of God’s names) becomes one with NadaBrahma (cosmic energy in the form of sound) ParaBrahma (ultimate cosmic reality) becomes apparent.
595. Extremely sinful people cannot have taste or pleasure in singing the hymns of Lord Sri Krishna. To destroy their sin, they should invariably listen to the stories of God and sing the hymns of God.
596. Lingering thoughts on the enjoyment of material pleasures is more harmful than actual enjoyment of pleasures.
597. If you receive God’s mercy, you will have the desire to perform righteous actions.
598. Because the minds of people are vitiated, they madly run after ordinary material pleasures. Not being able to endure even the slightest grief, they make a hue and cry about it.
599. Do not even imagine that Samsara (material world) is sinful. You are responsible for all your sins; not the world. If you have sinful tendencies in your mind, you are the only one responsible for that.
600. To love even those who hurt them is the habit of Mahatmas(great men)
601. The pleasure you get sex and other bodily contacts, is similar to the pleasure derived by scratching the itches on the skin; meaning that the ultimate result thereof is pain only.
602. Get up from bed at Brahma muhurtha( one and a half hours before sunrise.)Meditate on God, have Darsan and say your prayers. Pay obeisance to Mother Earth also.
603. Lord Sri Krishna is the charioteer of your body-chariot. If you realize this truth, your chariot will definitely reach its goal. On the contrary, if the mind controlled by the senses happens to be the charioteer, it will fall into some deep pit and be shattered.
604. Everyday after taking bath, sit at a solitary place and worship God. The preliminary sadhanas for a beginner are the following:-(i)Service and doing pooja to God;(ii)Chanting the names of God:(iii) Singing the hymns of God;(iv) Company of holy men and listening to Stories of God.(v) Reading the scriptural texts;(vi) Surrendering all actions to God;(vii) Recompensing for all sins committed;(viii) Surrendering the fruits of all actions to God.
605. If your eyes are sparkling with love and your mind is broad, you aredearest to God
606. Do not ask for anything from God. Asking for something is nothing but trading.
607. If you ask for material gains in return to your worship of God, you are a Vaisya(trader).Giving less and taking more is the trait of a trader.
608. Lead a very humble and simple life. Keep the mind out of reach for worldly desires.
609. Vasana (innate tendency) is your greatest enemy. If you do not enjoy worldly pleasures as dictated by Vasana, your mind will get agitated. So long as you continue to enjoy the pleasures, your desire for them will go on increasing. Therefore, wrap up your mind securely in the cloth of Bhakti.
610. If the son is righteous, his parents will attain the worlds of the righteous even if they are not righteous. But if the son is unrighteous, his parents, even if they are righteous, can reach only the worlds of the unrighteous.
611. The crow is the messenger of departed souls.
612. One who becomes a father has to take up great responsibilities. A father who does not inculcate good culture into his son is the greatest enemy of that son.
613. God’s mercy is more apparent in His punishment than in protection.
614. Your position in the society, wealth or education has no value at the time of death.
615. The knowledge which is not useful at the time if death is not real knowledge.
616.To think bad about those who are living with us and to think high about those who have departed, is a common trait of all living beings.
617. Man sometimes inscribes his name on the house in which he lives, on the ring that he wears, and on his own body. Too much of publicity in this manner destroys his Punya( merits of good actions)
618. Man’s genuine friend is Dharma (righteous living). The basis of all happiness is Dharma; not Dhana (riches)
619. Truth God’s own form. There is no other greater sin than untruth.
620. The desire arising from Viveka (the power of discrimination) to see every one happy is Truth in its real form. Therefore, try to reflect this Truth always in your thought, word and actions.
621. Before going to bed each night, reflect in your mind thus:- “Today, have I been able to do anything that pleases my Lord.”
622. Mercy should be expressed with due care. Mercy expressed out of place may cause hindrance to the service of God.
623. It is the duty of everyone to maintain purity.
624. Mind follows the soul after death of the body.
625. The soul gets more and more involved in worldly affairs. It cannot therefore, have full cognition of all the sins committed by the mind.
626. Maintain purity of thought, word and action. That also is a great penance. Show goodwill even towards enemies. If you do so, God will stand by your side and punish your enemies.
627. If you feel unhappy when faced with an insult, that shows you are an egotist. On the other hand, if you take refuge at the feet of God in all humility, that shows you have not taken that insult to heart.
628. Not hurting anyone by thought, word or action is called non-violence
.629. Brahmacharya (celibacy) is broken when man thinks of female body and woman thinks of male body. Celibacy is a great spiritual practice which enables you to keep the mind undisturbed.
630. Renunciation is another expression of Dharma.
631. Those who are contented with what God has given them should be considered as rich; those who are not so, should be considered as destitute.
632. Avoiding idle talk is silence. Not talking mentally is also silence. Silence gives mental peace as a result of which all thoughts of sins are eradicated from the mind.
633. Whatever misfortunes have occurred in this world, all of them are caused by carnal desires. Those who are blind with such desires, lose their power of discrimination.
634. Read the holy texts in plenty. When detachment is complete, take Sanyasa (renunciation).
635. When husband and wife live a pure life like Sanyasins their life will be happy. When female company becomes holy company, house-holder’s life becomes most glorious.
636. A house-holder’s mind should not be too harsh or too soft. He should not be under the influence of woman.
637. When Rama is not in his heart, man becomes blind with Kama (lust)
638. Charity has a special place in the house-holder’s life. By spending money for charity, your earnings become pure.
639. A house-holder should spend at least one month in a year in solitude at the banks of holy rivers like Ganges and worship God. Worldly subjects should never be discussed at holy places.
640. Wherever on the earth any action is performed, the impact of that action will linger there as the culture of that place.
641. When Sattwa Guna prevails in us, our sleep reduces.
642. Never entertain the feeling that “I am earning”
.643. If man can recollect the sins committed by him, he will understand that the miseries so far suffered are not sufficient retribution for the sins. Actually God gives us much more than what we deserve.
644. Man becomes godly or devilish because of himself. It is his own culture that makes man godly or devilish.
645. Elevate your Vasanas (tendencies) to a higher level. Company of holy men will elevate your Vasanas.
646. Man becomes what he thinks and what he speaks.
647. Death will certainly come today or tomorrow. It first affects the legs. When the legs become cold or weak it should be understood that death is nearing. At least at this stage man should start worshipping God.
648. Death is closing in. But it should be faced with the feeling:- “When Lord Sri Krishna, who is the death of death itself, is in my heart, how can death come near me?”
649. Intellect of those devoted to sexual pleasures will eventually become blunt.
650. Before his birth as a human, there were no relatives for man. Similarly after death also, there will be no relatives.
651. Man seeks refuge in God only when he is weak. It is in extremely miserable circumstances that he calls upon God for help.
652. Instead of making the heart suffer by shouting “Hayyo Hayyo”, try to say “Hari, Hari” from this moment.
653. If you will start meditating on Hari from today, you can certainly remember and see Hari at the time of death. When the legs become cold or lose their strength, understand that you are already in the grip of death.
654. Call upon God desperately like Gajendra(king of elephants). Read the story of Gajendramoksham (liberation of the king of elephants in Sreemad Bhagavatham) daily. You will certainly see God at the time of death. Besides, nightmares and other ill-omens will be totally eliminated during your lifetime.
655. Read the story of Matsyavatara (God’s incarnation as Fish) daily. It is beneficial to read Rasapanchadhyayi (Five chapters in Bhagavatham, tenth Skandha dealing with Rasakreeda) at midnight.
656. If you worship God constantly, God will come running to your side at the time of your death. Therefore, pray to God daily to come for your rescue at the time of death.
657. Tulasi and Lotus are two things dearest to Bhagavan.
658. God’s devotees should be honored and worshipped more than God Himself.
659. When you attribute the presence of God in a stone-idol, that idol actually gets the attributes of God. By worshipping that idol with strong conviction we can reach God within no time. It is, therefore, certain that those who worship Archavataras (God incarnated as idols) with full faith will reach God.
660. When good culture takes root in us,that will make our last days and next birth pure.
661. The experience of joy on the vision of God occurs for the first time in sleep.
662. Holy men and Brahmins come to you with good intentions only. They should never be disrespected. Their advices should be accepted and obeyed implicitly.
663. Goddess Lakshmi resides in flowers.
664. Jnana (knowledge) does not remain for long in the rich. It is in destitution that knowledge remains permanently.
665. Hunger and thirst are diseases of the body. Suffer them to the extent possible.
666. If you can practice drinking the poison of insults, you will soon get Amtitha(deathless state). ‘Poison’ is the name for adversity. That is why it gives distress. If you carry Ganga in the form of Bhakti on your head, it will be easy to drink this poison.(Allusion is to the story of Lord Shiva drinking poison during the churning of Ksheerasagara(ocean of milk)
667. One who suffers sorrows for making others happy becomes Shiva (godly). On the other hand, one who makes others unhappy to get happiness for him is worldly.
668. Do not think of any insults that you may have suffered. Also do not remember anyone who has done harm to you. This will protect you from indigestion.
669. When the attack of poison (worldly miseries) becomes too much, chant the Names God. God’s names will transform poison into nectar
.670. When you are sixteen years old, Manthanam(churning or agitation) starts in your mind. If the poison in the form of Vasanas (innate tendencies) begins to appear, think of Manthara (the mount which churned the Ocean of Milk) and fix your thoughts on it. If the churning is continued in this manner nectar in the form of Bhakti will invariably make its appearance.
671. God puts you into a fire-test. Initially He tests you by giving poison (sorrows).If you pass that test, He will give you nectar.
672. If you have wealth, use it for helping others.
673. If you do not get happiness during your life time, know that you are committing sins.
674. If you receive exceptional fame, know that your punya(merits of past good actions) has declined. Those who run after name and fame will definitely not receive the nectar (of Bhakti).
675. Man begins to worship God only when his desire for riches ends.
676. Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth will not desert those whose mind is straight forward and pure.
677. Those who have the blessings of Lakshmi shall be merciful to all. That is to say, they should use their wealth to mitigate the hardship of others to the extent possible.
678. Nectar of Bhakti will not flow through any house in which there is always quarrelling.
679. Beauty is merely your imagination. Anything that appears beautiful to you cannot be beautiful in the eyes of a dog. Therefore beauty depends on how you look at it.
680. You must necessarily give up your desire for the enchantments of the world, the desire for things which appear beautiful to your eyes and the desire for worldly objects. When the desire for God increases, desire for worldly things will reduce.
681. When you look at this world with lust in your eyes, desires will grow. If you look at it with God in your eyes, desires will soon vanish.
682. Those who keep women in their thoughts while walking along the road are Rakshasas (demons). Those who look at another’s wife with lustful eyes are really Rakshasas.
683. You should not show discrimination in serving food. If you do so, you will suffer serious stomach disorders.
684. If a bit of punya(merits of good actions) of earlier birth is left in us, we won’t suffer the results of our sins at once.
685. Do not ever take pride in or entertain the feeling that you have controlled your senses .Desire for worldly pleasures may lie hidden in your mind. When opportunity arises it may show up and pull you down.
686. Brahmacharis(celibates) who protect their semen will remain strong and healthy.
687. He who wears over his head the umbrella of righteousness cannot be hurt by anyone.
688. If worship of God is done jointly by husband and wife, God will be pleased very soon.
689. Bad company makes the householder’s life topsy-turvy.
690. Give up bodily view and take up godly view.
691. Do not look at anyone with discriminating eyes. Try to see everyone with divine eyes. If your eyes are good, the out come will also be good. Sreemad Bhagavatham gives you perfect eyes and perfect vision.
692. God sees the creation, man sees the creator.
693. The form which comes to your thoughts frequently will remain fixed in your mind permanently.
694. Man becomes subservient to fear and grief because he is not able to feel the presence of God constantly.
695. Householder’s life is not a hindrance, but is conducive to Bhakti. But too much attachment to the household is a great hindrance to Bhakti.
696. As you take food everyday, take the company of holy men also daily.
697. Brahmins should perform Sandhya vandan three times a day.
698. The young men who observe celibacy should refrain from thinking about, speaking about and touching women. (Avoid contact of women by thought, word and action)
699. Celibate men should not look at the face and hairs of women, because these are the places where lust resides.
700. Senses are powerful enough to mislead you. You must have heard the stories in which even the minds of great men had been carried away by the senses.
701. The face of one who looks at another’s wife with carnal desire will become tanned and black.
702. If your head automatically stoops in reverence on seeing an unknown person, take it that godliness is more predominant in him.
703. Donate at least one-fifth of your income for charity. It is likely that all money that comes to your possession may not be pure.
704. Mendicants do not come to your house for begging. The purpose of their visit is to give you proper guidance. Along with that, they accept and take away a part of your sin in the form of pittance offered by you.
705. Pure-hearted and righteous spiritual seers and chaste women are the supporters of this earth.
706. If a man, after having offered a gift to some one fails to give it, his place after death will be in the hell.
707. If you have anxiety about your future, there is no harm in saving one-fifth of your income.
708. Relatives and friends will be at your service, so long as you have money and wealth in your possession.
709. You can save one-fifth of your income for the old age also. If you do so, you can avoid begging from your children.
710. Selfishness dominates in this world. So people remain ignorant. Selfish people have no hesitation to do any wicked deed. The results of their wickedness are suffered by others and in turn they have to suffer the wickedness of others. Wicked people often crave for fame and happiness.
711. Telling untruth is said to be pardonable in four cases; 1) to solicit a marriage; 2) while talking to women; 3) when one’s life is in danger; and 4)for the protection of cows and Brahmins.
712. When money is spent for good causes, even if some obstructions might come in the way, the ultimate result will be peacefulness. But if money is misused, you will have no peace of mind till your death.
713. God is the master of our body and mind. Do our duties with this in mind.
714. Wicked men always say “mine, mine” and they are punished by God. Wise men always say “thine, thine” and they are protected by God.
715. The donor of a gift should not feel proud of giving it. A gift becomes futile, unless it is given with humility.
716. By surrendering himself to God man binds God in his heart. Surrender of one’s ego or pride is far better than surrender of the body
.717. Only the strong can traverse the path of God and follow God’s injunctions in life. And who is the strong? The strong is the one who has defeated his inner foes like lust, anger, greed, delusion, hatred, and egotism.
718. God visits the house of righteous men and asks for three things from them; their body mind and wealth. These three should be surrendered to God. By this total surrender they get admission to Rasaleela. The union of Jivatma (individual soul) with Paramatma (cosmic soul) is Rasaleela. Real surrender is the total surrender of Jivatma to Paramatma .God takes up the role of a gate-keeper in respect of devotees like Mahabali who surrender themselves totally to Him. 719. By worshipping God with your body, Thamoguna (quality of ignorance) in you reduces. Worship of God with wealth will reduce your Rajoguna (quality of restlessness). God will not be pleased with the surrender of your body and wealth, unless it is accompanied by the surrender of mind. Unless your mind is involved in the worship, you will not derive satisfaction from that worship. Engaging the body in the worship of God and the mind in worldly affairs at the same time, are totally incongruous activities. If you can shed a few drops of tears of joy from your eyes at the time of worship, take it that God is showering His mercy on you.
720. Acceptance of gift from anyone is bondage for the receiver.
721. If you install a Sreevigraha (image for worship) of God in your house, Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth) will come into your house uninvited. So better worship God rather than running after Lakshmi for wealth.
722. When God decides to shower His blessings on anybody, at first He will snatch away all his riches. It is only the wealth and riches that make a man egotist. It is the same wealth that insults God as well as the entire world.
(To be continued)
CHAPTER VII (Seventh and eighth Skandas)
[Translation by Shri: P.N. Balakrishnan Nair]
536. To think and say that “I have no ego” is by itself an expression of ego.
537. It is man’s pride that makes him unhappy.
538. If a man preaches Jnana (wisdom) to others and his actions are diametrically opposite to his preaching, he is a Rakshasa( devil)
539. Bhakti cannot be experienced in actual life without Jnana (knowledge) and Vairagya(detachment)
540. Money will influence the greedy, while praise influences the egoist.
541. A wife who prevents her husband from sinful acts by reasoning is called Pathni. But the wife who persuades her husband to the path of spirituality is called Dharma pathni.
542. Normally voluptuous men are easily influenced by women. It is therefore easy for a wife to bring her husband to the right path. A righteous wife, if she so desires, can lead her husband to the path of Bhakti.
543. If the basic intention of Yogic practice is not pure, that Yogi will definitely fail in his practice. One can achieve several superhuman powers through yogic practice; but not God-realization, which is the ultimate goal of human birth.
544. Man never gets satisfaction from enjoyment of pleasures. Satisfaction comes only from renunciation.
545. This world is more akin to selfishness and deception. Even the relationship between husband and wife is often found to be full of selfishness and deception.
546. A son can by his merits uplift only his own family. But a daughter can uplift not only the family of her parents but that of her husband also.
547. It is good to work for the uplift of society; but it often gives rise to ego.
548. No one gets Bhakti from the advice of any other person; Bhakti comes only through God’s grace.
549. He, whose vision is corrupted, sees the world in a perverse manner; that is to say, he sees justice as injustice and injustice as justice.
550. In old age, man becomes more attached to his body and so he becomes totally incapable of worshipping God.
551. All living creatures have to under go many births and deaths before attaining human birth, which is very rare and difficult to get.
552. We experience happiness and unhappiness depending upon the results of our past actions.
553. Worship of God is obstructed only due to the weakness of human mind.
554. Man can get rid of his wickedness with the help of God’s grace.
555. One who does not see this world as such actually sees God in it.
556. Goddess of Sleep stands in the way of listening to God’s stories and praising His glories.
557. While singing songs in praise of God, use of the correct pitch and rhythm will add impetus to
your love of God.
558. It is a good sign if you are ashamed of committing sinful actions.
559. Impurities in your mind will be eradicated by singing songs in praise of God.
560. Without singing songs in praise of God, listening to the stories of God will not be complete. (Kathanthe keerthanam kuryad= Praise the Lordat the end of His story)
561. By praising God, your sins are destroyed and your mind becomes pure. Into that pure mind God enters instantaneously.
562. Vision of God will not occur without the grace of Guru. It is therefore the essential duty of man to seek refuge in a Guru or other great souls.
563. God is the indweller of everything. Once this wonderful fact is realized, man can see the whole world as nothing but God. Thereafter he cannot find any place to commit a sin.
564. Humility and helplessness are two trusted friends of man. God will easily accept those who possess these qualities. Humility and feeling of helplessness will remove all obstacles from the path towards God.
565. Superficial knowledge may sometimes cause obstruction to the worship of God.
566. Spend your life with this strong concept:-“Let all my actions be soaked in Bhakti”.
567. When actions are pure, it is called Bhakti.
568. “My Lord is watching whatever I do”. Remember this truth while performing your duties. 569. “My Lord is listening to whatever I talk; all my actions are supported by my Lord.” When this attitude strengthens, you attain God-realization.
570. God is all-pervading; let this be your natural attitude.
571. In this world, only those who have controlled their senses can be said to be independent. Those who are independent are self-willed. Therefore, learn how to be independent under the guidance of suitable Gurus.
572. Those who eat their God-given food, without first offering it to God, will have to meet death by starvation.
573. A lighted lamp brings light to your home and heart at the same time. Service brings happiness to the one who serves.
574. You hesitate to prostrate before the Lord at the temple, because of the fear that your beautiful cloths may get soiled.
575. Only the best among best things should be offered to God.
576. If your hairs stand on end or tears drop from your eyes while praying to God, it means God has heard your prayer.
577. Cook food for the sake of God. Offer it God before eating. Take the vow that “without offering to God I will not take anything for myself.”
578. Hearing the stories of God without observing the rules for listening and understanding the essence of the stories, is a waste of time. Retain the essence of these stories carefully in your ears and mind.
579. An image of God is better than picture for worship. First think of a form of God. Make a beautiful pedestal according to your financial capacity, for placing the God’s image. Do not speak during worship. If you become body-conscious, during worship, prostrate before the Lord. (Prostration is not allowed for women).Slavish attitude towards the Lord is best suited for worship.
580. If the presence of God is not felt in the image of God, it is not possible to feel the presence of God in other beings and things.
581. If you worship God after committing sinful deeds, you will feel that God is annoyed.
582. When the mind is impure, worship of God will not give satisfaction.
583. If you forget some lines while chanting the hymns of God, prostrate before the Lord and that will make the chanting complete.
584. God accepts even your small offerings, and makes them big.
585. However much he offers to God, the feeling that “I have been able to offer only very little to my Lord” is the nature of a Bhakta.
586. Prema (Love) puts life into the lifeless.
587. Ordinary beings do not care for God and so God also does not care for them.
588. God is the only person deserving our love. If your heart melts and tears of joy drop from your eyes during prayer, take it that God has accepted your prayer.
589. All our offerings to Him are returned to us by God after multiplying them many-fold.
590. Enjoyment of pleasures increases desires and weakens the senses. Thoughts about worldly objects reduce our powers. But thoughts about God give us all powers.
591. Man exceeds all limits while enjoying worldly pleasures. So he has to suffer all the miseries arising from that. How can God become responsible for that? How can you blame God for that?592. Man loses his power of discrimination when faced with extreme grief.
593. Drink the nectar of God’s Names and Stories. Your senses will come under control.
594. When your mind is occupied by worldliness and sinful thoughts, take recourse to the pleasure of listening to stories of God and drinking the nectar of God’s names. When NamaBrahma (cosmic energy in the form of God’s names) becomes one with NadaBrahma (cosmic energy in the form of sound) ParaBrahma (ultimate cosmic reality) becomes apparent.
595. Extremely sinful people cannot have taste or pleasure in singing the hymns of Lord Sri Krishna. To destroy their sin, they should invariably listen to the stories of God and sing the hymns of God.
596. Lingering thoughts on the enjoyment of material pleasures is more harmful than actual enjoyment of pleasures.
597. If you receive God’s mercy, you will have the desire to perform righteous actions.
598. Because the minds of people are vitiated, they madly run after ordinary material pleasures. Not being able to endure even the slightest grief, they make a hue and cry about it.
599. Do not even imagine that Samsara (material world) is sinful. You are responsible for all your sins; not the world. If you have sinful tendencies in your mind, you are the only one responsible for that.
600. To love even those who hurt them is the habit of Mahatmas(great men)
601. The pleasure you get sex and other bodily contacts, is similar to the pleasure derived by scratching the itches on the skin; meaning that the ultimate result thereof is pain only.
602. Get up from bed at Brahma muhurtha( one and a half hours before sunrise.)Meditate on God, have Darsan and say your prayers. Pay obeisance to Mother Earth also.
603. Lord Sri Krishna is the charioteer of your body-chariot. If you realize this truth, your chariot will definitely reach its goal. On the contrary, if the mind controlled by the senses happens to be the charioteer, it will fall into some deep pit and be shattered.
604. Everyday after taking bath, sit at a solitary place and worship God. The preliminary sadhanas for a beginner are the following:-(i)Service and doing pooja to God;(ii)Chanting the names of God:(iii) Singing the hymns of God;(iv) Company of holy men and listening to Stories of God.(v) Reading the scriptural texts;(vi) Surrendering all actions to God;(vii) Recompensing for all sins committed;(viii) Surrendering the fruits of all actions to God.
605. If your eyes are sparkling with love and your mind is broad, you aredearest to God
606. Do not ask for anything from God. Asking for something is nothing but trading.
607. If you ask for material gains in return to your worship of God, you are a Vaisya(trader).Giving less and taking more is the trait of a trader.
608. Lead a very humble and simple life. Keep the mind out of reach for worldly desires.
609. Vasana (innate tendency) is your greatest enemy. If you do not enjoy worldly pleasures as dictated by Vasana, your mind will get agitated. So long as you continue to enjoy the pleasures, your desire for them will go on increasing. Therefore, wrap up your mind securely in the cloth of Bhakti.
610. If the son is righteous, his parents will attain the worlds of the righteous even if they are not righteous. But if the son is unrighteous, his parents, even if they are righteous, can reach only the worlds of the unrighteous.
611. The crow is the messenger of departed souls.
612. One who becomes a father has to take up great responsibilities. A father who does not inculcate good culture into his son is the greatest enemy of that son.
613. God’s mercy is more apparent in His punishment than in protection.
614. Your position in the society, wealth or education has no value at the time of death.
615. The knowledge which is not useful at the time if death is not real knowledge.
616.To think bad about those who are living with us and to think high about those who have departed, is a common trait of all living beings.
617. Man sometimes inscribes his name on the house in which he lives, on the ring that he wears, and on his own body. Too much of publicity in this manner destroys his Punya( merits of good actions)
618. Man’s genuine friend is Dharma (righteous living). The basis of all happiness is Dharma; not Dhana (riches)
619. Truth God’s own form. There is no other greater sin than untruth.
620. The desire arising from Viveka (the power of discrimination) to see every one happy is Truth in its real form. Therefore, try to reflect this Truth always in your thought, word and actions.
621. Before going to bed each night, reflect in your mind thus:- “Today, have I been able to do anything that pleases my Lord.”
622. Mercy should be expressed with due care. Mercy expressed out of place may cause hindrance to the service of God.
623. It is the duty of everyone to maintain purity.
624. Mind follows the soul after death of the body.
625. The soul gets more and more involved in worldly affairs. It cannot therefore, have full cognition of all the sins committed by the mind.
626. Maintain purity of thought, word and action. That also is a great penance. Show goodwill even towards enemies. If you do so, God will stand by your side and punish your enemies.
627. If you feel unhappy when faced with an insult, that shows you are an egotist. On the other hand, if you take refuge at the feet of God in all humility, that shows you have not taken that insult to heart.
628. Not hurting anyone by thought, word or action is called non-violence
.629. Brahmacharya (celibacy) is broken when man thinks of female body and woman thinks of male body. Celibacy is a great spiritual practice which enables you to keep the mind undisturbed.
630. Renunciation is another expression of Dharma.
631. Those who are contented with what God has given them should be considered as rich; those who are not so, should be considered as destitute.
632. Avoiding idle talk is silence. Not talking mentally is also silence. Silence gives mental peace as a result of which all thoughts of sins are eradicated from the mind.
633. Whatever misfortunes have occurred in this world, all of them are caused by carnal desires. Those who are blind with such desires, lose their power of discrimination.
634. Read the holy texts in plenty. When detachment is complete, take Sanyasa (renunciation).
635. When husband and wife live a pure life like Sanyasins their life will be happy. When female company becomes holy company, house-holder’s life becomes most glorious.
636. A house-holder’s mind should not be too harsh or too soft. He should not be under the influence of woman.
637. When Rama is not in his heart, man becomes blind with Kama (lust)
638. Charity has a special place in the house-holder’s life. By spending money for charity, your earnings become pure.
639. A house-holder should spend at least one month in a year in solitude at the banks of holy rivers like Ganges and worship God. Worldly subjects should never be discussed at holy places.
640. Wherever on the earth any action is performed, the impact of that action will linger there as the culture of that place.
641. When Sattwa Guna prevails in us, our sleep reduces.
642. Never entertain the feeling that “I am earning”
.643. If man can recollect the sins committed by him, he will understand that the miseries so far suffered are not sufficient retribution for the sins. Actually God gives us much more than what we deserve.
644. Man becomes godly or devilish because of himself. It is his own culture that makes man godly or devilish.
645. Elevate your Vasanas (tendencies) to a higher level. Company of holy men will elevate your Vasanas.
646. Man becomes what he thinks and what he speaks.
647. Death will certainly come today or tomorrow. It first affects the legs. When the legs become cold or weak it should be understood that death is nearing. At least at this stage man should start worshipping God.
648. Death is closing in. But it should be faced with the feeling:- “When Lord Sri Krishna, who is the death of death itself, is in my heart, how can death come near me?”
649. Intellect of those devoted to sexual pleasures will eventually become blunt.
650. Before his birth as a human, there were no relatives for man. Similarly after death also, there will be no relatives.
651. Man seeks refuge in God only when he is weak. It is in extremely miserable circumstances that he calls upon God for help.
652. Instead of making the heart suffer by shouting “Hayyo Hayyo”, try to say “Hari, Hari” from this moment.
653. If you will start meditating on Hari from today, you can certainly remember and see Hari at the time of death. When the legs become cold or lose their strength, understand that you are already in the grip of death.
654. Call upon God desperately like Gajendra(king of elephants). Read the story of Gajendramoksham (liberation of the king of elephants in Sreemad Bhagavatham) daily. You will certainly see God at the time of death. Besides, nightmares and other ill-omens will be totally eliminated during your lifetime.
655. Read the story of Matsyavatara (God’s incarnation as Fish) daily. It is beneficial to read Rasapanchadhyayi (Five chapters in Bhagavatham, tenth Skandha dealing with Rasakreeda) at midnight.
656. If you worship God constantly, God will come running to your side at the time of your death. Therefore, pray to God daily to come for your rescue at the time of death.
657. Tulasi and Lotus are two things dearest to Bhagavan.
658. God’s devotees should be honored and worshipped more than God Himself.
659. When you attribute the presence of God in a stone-idol, that idol actually gets the attributes of God. By worshipping that idol with strong conviction we can reach God within no time. It is, therefore, certain that those who worship Archavataras (God incarnated as idols) with full faith will reach God.
660. When good culture takes root in us,that will make our last days and next birth pure.
661. The experience of joy on the vision of God occurs for the first time in sleep.
662. Holy men and Brahmins come to you with good intentions only. They should never be disrespected. Their advices should be accepted and obeyed implicitly.
663. Goddess Lakshmi resides in flowers.
664. Jnana (knowledge) does not remain for long in the rich. It is in destitution that knowledge remains permanently.
665. Hunger and thirst are diseases of the body. Suffer them to the extent possible.
666. If you can practice drinking the poison of insults, you will soon get Amtitha(deathless state). ‘Poison’ is the name for adversity. That is why it gives distress. If you carry Ganga in the form of Bhakti on your head, it will be easy to drink this poison.(Allusion is to the story of Lord Shiva drinking poison during the churning of Ksheerasagara(ocean of milk)
667. One who suffers sorrows for making others happy becomes Shiva (godly). On the other hand, one who makes others unhappy to get happiness for him is worldly.
668. Do not think of any insults that you may have suffered. Also do not remember anyone who has done harm to you. This will protect you from indigestion.
669. When the attack of poison (worldly miseries) becomes too much, chant the Names God. God’s names will transform poison into nectar
.670. When you are sixteen years old, Manthanam(churning or agitation) starts in your mind. If the poison in the form of Vasanas (innate tendencies) begins to appear, think of Manthara (the mount which churned the Ocean of Milk) and fix your thoughts on it. If the churning is continued in this manner nectar in the form of Bhakti will invariably make its appearance.
671. God puts you into a fire-test. Initially He tests you by giving poison (sorrows).If you pass that test, He will give you nectar.
672. If you have wealth, use it for helping others.
673. If you do not get happiness during your life time, know that you are committing sins.
674. If you receive exceptional fame, know that your punya(merits of past good actions) has declined. Those who run after name and fame will definitely not receive the nectar (of Bhakti).
675. Man begins to worship God only when his desire for riches ends.
676. Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth will not desert those whose mind is straight forward and pure.
677. Those who have the blessings of Lakshmi shall be merciful to all. That is to say, they should use their wealth to mitigate the hardship of others to the extent possible.
678. Nectar of Bhakti will not flow through any house in which there is always quarrelling.
679. Beauty is merely your imagination. Anything that appears beautiful to you cannot be beautiful in the eyes of a dog. Therefore beauty depends on how you look at it.
680. You must necessarily give up your desire for the enchantments of the world, the desire for things which appear beautiful to your eyes and the desire for worldly objects. When the desire for God increases, desire for worldly things will reduce.
681. When you look at this world with lust in your eyes, desires will grow. If you look at it with God in your eyes, desires will soon vanish.
682. Those who keep women in their thoughts while walking along the road are Rakshasas (demons). Those who look at another’s wife with lustful eyes are really Rakshasas.
683. You should not show discrimination in serving food. If you do so, you will suffer serious stomach disorders.
684. If a bit of punya(merits of good actions) of earlier birth is left in us, we won’t suffer the results of our sins at once.
685. Do not ever take pride in or entertain the feeling that you have controlled your senses .Desire for worldly pleasures may lie hidden in your mind. When opportunity arises it may show up and pull you down.
686. Brahmacharis(celibates) who protect their semen will remain strong and healthy.
687. He who wears over his head the umbrella of righteousness cannot be hurt by anyone.
688. If worship of God is done jointly by husband and wife, God will be pleased very soon.
689. Bad company makes the householder’s life topsy-turvy.
690. Give up bodily view and take up godly view.
691. Do not look at anyone with discriminating eyes. Try to see everyone with divine eyes. If your eyes are good, the out come will also be good. Sreemad Bhagavatham gives you perfect eyes and perfect vision.
692. God sees the creation, man sees the creator.
693. The form which comes to your thoughts frequently will remain fixed in your mind permanently.
694. Man becomes subservient to fear and grief because he is not able to feel the presence of God constantly.
695. Householder’s life is not a hindrance, but is conducive to Bhakti. But too much attachment to the household is a great hindrance to Bhakti.
696. As you take food everyday, take the company of holy men also daily.
697. Brahmins should perform Sandhya vandan three times a day.
698. The young men who observe celibacy should refrain from thinking about, speaking about and touching women. (Avoid contact of women by thought, word and action)
699. Celibate men should not look at the face and hairs of women, because these are the places where lust resides.
700. Senses are powerful enough to mislead you. You must have heard the stories in which even the minds of great men had been carried away by the senses.
701. The face of one who looks at another’s wife with carnal desire will become tanned and black.
702. If your head automatically stoops in reverence on seeing an unknown person, take it that godliness is more predominant in him.
703. Donate at least one-fifth of your income for charity. It is likely that all money that comes to your possession may not be pure.
704. Mendicants do not come to your house for begging. The purpose of their visit is to give you proper guidance. Along with that, they accept and take away a part of your sin in the form of pittance offered by you.
705. Pure-hearted and righteous spiritual seers and chaste women are the supporters of this earth.
706. If a man, after having offered a gift to some one fails to give it, his place after death will be in the hell.
707. If you have anxiety about your future, there is no harm in saving one-fifth of your income.
708. Relatives and friends will be at your service, so long as you have money and wealth in your possession.
709. You can save one-fifth of your income for the old age also. If you do so, you can avoid begging from your children.
710. Selfishness dominates in this world. So people remain ignorant. Selfish people have no hesitation to do any wicked deed. The results of their wickedness are suffered by others and in turn they have to suffer the wickedness of others. Wicked people often crave for fame and happiness.
711. Telling untruth is said to be pardonable in four cases; 1) to solicit a marriage; 2) while talking to women; 3) when one’s life is in danger; and 4)for the protection of cows and Brahmins.
712. When money is spent for good causes, even if some obstructions might come in the way, the ultimate result will be peacefulness. But if money is misused, you will have no peace of mind till your death.
713. God is the master of our body and mind. Do our duties with this in mind.
714. Wicked men always say “mine, mine” and they are punished by God. Wise men always say “thine, thine” and they are protected by God.
715. The donor of a gift should not feel proud of giving it. A gift becomes futile, unless it is given with humility.
716. By surrendering himself to God man binds God in his heart. Surrender of one’s ego or pride is far better than surrender of the body
.717. Only the strong can traverse the path of God and follow God’s injunctions in life. And who is the strong? The strong is the one who has defeated his inner foes like lust, anger, greed, delusion, hatred, and egotism.
718. God visits the house of righteous men and asks for three things from them; their body mind and wealth. These three should be surrendered to God. By this total surrender they get admission to Rasaleela. The union of Jivatma (individual soul) with Paramatma (cosmic soul) is Rasaleela. Real surrender is the total surrender of Jivatma to Paramatma .God takes up the role of a gate-keeper in respect of devotees like Mahabali who surrender themselves totally to Him. 719. By worshipping God with your body, Thamoguna (quality of ignorance) in you reduces. Worship of God with wealth will reduce your Rajoguna (quality of restlessness). God will not be pleased with the surrender of your body and wealth, unless it is accompanied by the surrender of mind. Unless your mind is involved in the worship, you will not derive satisfaction from that worship. Engaging the body in the worship of God and the mind in worldly affairs at the same time, are totally incongruous activities. If you can shed a few drops of tears of joy from your eyes at the time of worship, take it that God is showering His mercy on you.
720. Acceptance of gift from anyone is bondage for the receiver.
721. If you install a Sreevigraha (image for worship) of God in your house, Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth) will come into your house uninvited. So better worship God rather than running after Lakshmi for wealth.
722. When God decides to shower His blessings on anybody, at first He will snatch away all his riches. It is only the wealth and riches that make a man egotist. It is the same wealth that insults God as well as the entire world.
(To be continued)
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