Skip to main content

When O When

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who is humbler than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree,
Free from any sense of hatred and animosity.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who is free from lust and greed,
And from unwanted wants and needs.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who is free from pride and envy,
And from wrong company.
When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who is ready to embrace other's sorrows as one's own,
And not bother about sorrows of one's own.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who is ready to forgive and forget,
And not be caught in Maya's net.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who is eager to offer respects to all,
And expect none at all.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who chants the Holynames incessantly,
With love, devotion and humility.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who considers everyone better than himself,
And loves everyone more than oneself.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who gives great pleasure to Guru and the Vaishnavas,
By genuinely feeling oneself to be the servant of the servants.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who runs to Krishna at full speed,
Ready to overcome obstacles of any size, indeed.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Whose heart is filled with pure love,
And thus sees the world through eyes tainted with love.

- Achyut Gopal Das

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE ART OF HEART

"Devotion means attention to details." - Radhanath Swami As I was having my breakfast at our ISKCON-run restaurant at Vrindavan, I saw one lady chef cut a piece of cake, neatly place it on the center of the plate and wipe the excess cake markings very meticulously with a tissue paper. It was then served to the customer with a knife and fork. I very much appreciated the devotion this lady put in her job. No wonder, why people spend so much extra money in going to high-quality restaurants which not only focuses on the quality of the preparation but also on the quality of the presentation of the preparation. When "the giver" puts their heart in something, it is felt in the heart of "the receiver". Eating is not just an activity of filling one's belly and satisfying one's palate, it is also about satisfying one's heart. I took a lesson from this incident. In life, we are all "givers" in some instances and "receivers" i...
1 comment
Read more

SEEING THE UNSEEN HAND OF GOD

"kartum akartum anyatha kartum"  "Everything happening, not happening or otherwise happening is His happening." A few days ago, I had the opportunity to participate in a retreat for brahmacharis (monks) connected to the Radha Gopinath temple, Mumbai at the Govardhan Eco Village - the farm project of Radha Gopinath temple. Among other feelings, retreats like these always leaves you feeling a little more grounded and humble. You feel small in front of hundreds of other accomplished monks. The saying - " a big fish in a small pond becomes a small fish in a big pond " aptly summarizes the feeling one experiences in these Yatras. Another interesting experience was the experience of saving my slipper. May sound a little silly. But, it wasn't that silly given the fact that most monks have a similar kind of slipper (paduka type sandals). It was a kind of fun to try to hide my slippers in different places so that it wouldn't get interchanged with those of...
Post a Comment
Read more

TRANSFORMATION IN A MOMENT - Is it possible?

"A moments insight is sometimes worth a life's experience." - Oliver Wendell Holmes. We are all looking for transformation, isn't it. Transformation of heart, transformation of consciousness and transformation of our experience in life. We all want to experience higher levels of love, bliss and freedom. How long does it take for transformation to happen? It can take a long time or can happen in a moment. It all depends on whether we are tuned-in to the moment at hand. God keeps throwing transformational opportunities at every moment but we are so distracted by our mind and senses that we miss to catch them . Here are few life-stories that show, how transformation occurs in a moment - in a flash, if we can catch it when it shows up. THE LOST BAG This is a story from the teenage life of Radhanath Swami as a wanderer in India. During the course of his travels, he had become quite attached to the spiritual books he carried. He had gradually gathered a small library in a...
Post a Comment
Read more