Sunday, April 20, 2008

Absorbed in Love?




This past week, Krishna allowed me to have a breakthrough in my spiritual life. I realized that I had been meditating more on hatred than love. This might sound a little radical, but allow me to explain. Lately, I got wrapped up in checking out the news, researching politics, and absorbing mundane philosophies that lead to more speculation. All of this produced a ranting in my mind. Circumstances to change, policies that create havoc in the lives of others, and ultimately solutions that don't resolve the problem, but might suppress it for awhile. I've been absorbed in these than absorbing myself in the sweet pastimes of the Lord and His devotees. This week I really got into the Ramayana. So much wonderful philosophy and love mixed with great stories of adventure.
We must absorb our mind in something. The pastimes of the Lord clear out the unwanted pollution in our hearts. As Shrimad-Bhagavatam says: "Shri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted." If we are attracted to material enjoyment than selfishness over takes the soul's natural propensity to be selfless. The more we want to lord it over the objects of this world, the more we bury the natural propensity to give love. That is why we must absorb ourselves in the spiritual topics of the Lord and His devotees.
In Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila, Chapter 3, text 12 purport, Shrila Prabhupada explains: "The descent of Shri Krishna, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is very powerful. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that one who knows the truth about Shri Krishna's descent and His various activities is at once liberated and does not fall again to this existence of birth and death after he leaves his present material body. In other words, one who factually understands Krishna makes his life perfect. Imperfect life is realized in material existence, in five different relationships we share with everyone in the material world: neutrality, servitorship, friendship, filial love and amorous love between husband and wife or lover and beloved. THese five enjoyable relationships with the Absolute Personality of Godhead in the transcendental nature. That Absolute Personality, Shri Krishna, descends to revive the five eternally existing relationships. Thus He manifests His transcendental pastimes in Vraja so that people may be attracted into that sphere of activities and leave aside their imitation relationships with the mundane. Then, after fully exhibiting all such activities, the Lord disappears."
The Lord performs activities for the benefit of the conditioned souls. The activities are of two kinds: destroying the demons and protecting the devotees.
I beg the Lord that I can grow from this realization and keep my mind locked at the lotus feet of the Lord.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

In line with your nice realizations, I would like to include the following from Bhakti Tirtha Swami:

"People normally waste so much energy as they engage in frivolous conversations. Instead of engaging in krsna-katha (talks about the Lord), they pursue gramya-katha (mundane discussions). As we are mindful of our thoughts, our speech will become more palatable and constructive. Proper thoughts produce proper speech, which prduces proper actions, which produce proper habits, which will produce a proper culture."

Bhakti Tirtha Swami
The Beggar IV
Die Before Dying
Page 108 (auspicious!)