Will it Please Krishna


Reading through the pages of ‘Nectar Stream’ a book by HH Radhanath Maharaj, gifted to me by one of my dear God-sisters, I came across this quote, “In this age of Kali, moving mountains is easier than trying to co-operate”. It brought a grin on my face. “How true!” I exclaimed to myself and continued with my routine. Now all those who have the experience of the Mumbai locals especially the mumbaikars will agree with me that an unpredictable fight or a senseless argument is obvious in the compartment; especially among the female passengers. That day I witnessed one such argument among two ladies. Out of them one seemed to be highly religious and powerful, at least by the statement she made. She said to the other woman that just because she fought with her god will punish her severely. I wondered. Is this what we understand about religion and spirituality? Will God even consider the prayers and pleas of this woman?

How can any religion make someone so vengeful and intolerant? Can any religion take away our empathy, understanding and patience? Gurumaharaj says, “Seek not to be understood, but Understand.” It is so important. I was amazed. We cannot maintain our tolerance and composure even in a journey of 20mins, and we talk about being religious and spiritual. I could now connect to the quote I read that morning.
I realized how we talk about Loving god and serving him and worshiping him while we do not even follow the basic requisites by loving and serving his people. For loving God means loving everyone and everything just as him. Shouldn’t we first try to cultivate basic qualities and then aim for higher moods? Isn’t it better to learn to draw before attempt our masterpiece?

Tolerance, Co-operation, Forgiveness, Patience we talk about these principles. But how often do we practice them. If our mother scolds, we immediately back answer instead of tolerating, if our friend or anyone hurts us we become vengeful or at least angry instead of forgiving. We simply do not try to adjust, but always want to control. Where Krsna expects us to be simple at heart we complicate our lives like a spider, which builds web around itself and is finally trapped in it to death.


What does simplicity means? Wearing simple clothes? Eating simple food? Or is it about having a heart free from envy, pride, anger and hatred; filled with only one intention, “how can I please the Lord?” The moment we center our lives around pleasure of Krishna and his service, we will be able to get rid of all these anarthas occupying our mind. A simple Heart doesn’t try to control, instead adjusts and compromises to maintain the harmony. A Devotee is very determinant but at the same time extremely humble. Dalai Lama said, “In the practice of Tolerance, once enemy is the best teacher.” All we need to do is before exhibiting any emotion ask a quick Question to ourselves, “Will this please Krishna?”


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Power of Self-Awareness Over False Affirmations - my 90 minutes with Gurukuli boys.

Image
Recently, I had the opportunity to conduct a poetry writing workshop for a group of Gurukuli boys. One of the activities was to create acrostics using their own names, a fun and engaging exercise to help them express their self-identity. What struck me the most during this activity was the contrast between what I had expected and what actually unfolded. When the younger children began, they chose adorable and positive adjectives—nothing surprising there. But as I moved on to the older boys, around 10 years and above, I noticed something quite remarkable. Instead of selecting grandiose or exaggerated words to describe themselves, they opted for words that reflected a sense of self-awareness. Some boys described themselves as "distracted" or "dutiful," and even one child chose "annoying" and "obnoxious" for his acrostic. What caught me off guard was how genuinely comfortable they were with these terms—not in a self-deprecating or negative way, but ...
Explore Ahead

Embracing the Joys and Challenges of Parenthood

Image
“Childhood is like waves in the ocean of time; they come and go, each moment a gentle reminder of how swiftly life evolves.”  Observing my children often fills me with a profound sense of gratitude. Their kindness, their ability to reason, and their willingness to express their opinions make me feel incredibly fortunate. It’s truly a blessing to witness these traits in them. Just today, my almost 4-year-old son demonstrated an unexpected sense of organization. After a delightful play session, he carefully packed all his toys and stored them away in his drawer, showing a level of thoughtfulness that surprised me. What’s more, he didn’t demand any screen time; instead, he played quietly, understanding my need to concentrate on my work. These moments of serenity remind me of how blessed I am to have such considerate children. Yet, parenthood is not without its challenges. There are days when I feel utterly exhausted. During these times, I make a conscious effort to remind myself that ...
Explore Ahead

What IF?

Image
When I think of my student life I remember my preference for the first bench right in front of the teacher (unless we had to rotate around the classroom), the second seat on the left side of the school bus, completed notebooks in microscopic hand-writing, (Dadu- my favorite friend recommended to submit magnifying glass along with my projects and answer-sheets ), being in the library even in the vacations, and practically burying myself in the books besides doing absolute urgent things like eating, bathing answering nature’s call (NERD Alert). When I married I thought, why was I so inspired to marry the last bencher, with no idea where or in what condition his books were and who doesn’t like to read (forget about poetry), who has so many people to talk to, who is people’s favorite, mom’s favorite (even my mom’s), who can know the life story of a total stranger, in an absolutely new place, in 10 literally mins (Gujaratis *rolling eyes*) WHY? Was the question with w...
Explore Ahead

Translate