The Wisdom Park

" People are guests in our story, the same way we are guests in theirs. But we all meet each other for a reason because every person is a personal lesson waiting to be told. " - Lauren Klarfeld These days I regularly go to our ISKCON center at Ponda (a city in Goa) to assist in the preaching activities there. One night as I was about to sleep in the bedding provided to me by the devotees there, I noticed that on the mat was written, "Guest mat". The word "guest" caught my attention and I wondered at the wonder of life. Years back, I was one of the hosts in Ponda who spent nearly 12 years in developing the preaching in this place. Now, I come back again to preach but more like a guest than a host. How life moves and changes is something astonishing to witness. I sat on this "guest mat" seeing through my mind's eye, the change in the roles I played with the passing of time. Due to the training I received in spirituality, I could now perceive

" One cannot solve a problem on the very level of understanding with which it was created. " - Albert Einstein We live in a constantly changing world. The external situations, environments, people, our own body and mind are constantly in flux. The turbulence is all over and it can be quite overwhelming at times. How can we expect to be peaceful in this world of chaos, how can we be tranquil in this world of turbulence is the subject matter of this blog. We can't escape from our present situation and run to a peaceful place to experience peace. And even if we are able to manage to do it still, our constantly changing, restlessly moving and aimlessly wandering mind will accompany us. What is the way out of this matrix? Let's see... Bhagvat-gita starts with Arjuna experiencing a state of great turbulence within his heart. His heart was being torn apart between duty and family attachment. In this state of mental turbulence, he surrendered to Lord Krishna and begged for

As devotees, we don't realise the great fortune of being able to wear the attire of a Vaishnava, apply Tilak on our forehead, wear Tulsi beads on our neck, chant the Holynames of Krishna, associate with His wonderful devotees, engage in His service, honour His prasadam, visit His holy dhamas, circumbulate Tulsi, see His holy deities, hear His Katha, participate in His festivals, read His words in the scriptures. These are by no way ordinary activities. These are blessings of an immeasurable kind. What we are given access to and the kind of devotional life we are given a chance to preform is very rare. Only very very fortunate souls get the fortune to get connected to the Lord through anyone of these activities. Indeed, great demigods long to experience this kind of life. And the best part is that we have been offered all this fortune without any qualification of ours. One time, one disciple asked Srila Prabhupada, "What was our qualification that we got to meet you and t

A few days ago, there was our annual Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Panjim, the capital city of Goa. Lord Jagannath rode majestically in His majestic chariot in the most majestic street of Goa. It was a beautiful procession with devotees chanting and dancing enthusiastically for the pleasure of the Lord. Towards the end of the procession, it started to rain very heavily. Most devotees were still continuing to chant and dance undettered by the heavy down pour. But, I chose to shelter myself under the umbrella of one of my devotee friends. As we were standing by a tree and waiting for the rains to subside, I noticed the waters of the adjacent Mandovi river. It appeared very turbulent and agitated. It was a little fearful to look at. I was thinking, "If waters of a small river can be so agitating and fearful, how much more fearful and scary it will be to be in between the ocean with rain and storm in full swing." Even if you are in a huge ship still, in front of the massive

" May we always be burdened with thinking of the suffering of others, for that is what it means to be human. " - Kamand Kojouri The ethos of this great land of India and it's Vedic culture is captured perfectly by the Upanishadic statement - " vasudhaiva kutumbakam ". It means - this entire world is one family - the family of God. Lord Krishna mentions in the Bhagavad-Gita 14.4 sarva-yonisu kaunteya murtayah sambhavanti yah tasam brahma mahad yonir aham bija-pradah pita " It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father. " He doesn't say that He is only the father of humans. He says that, He is the father of all living entities - the animals, the birds, the trees and even the insignificant insects. If He is the father of all then we are all brothers and sisters. How will God, the Supreme Father feel when we hurt His children. On

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" One time a few guests came to meet Srila Prabhupada, the founder acharya of ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada pointing to his disciples told these guests very proudly, "Just see, these boys and girls are so dedicated to this Krishna consciousness movement and me that even if you give them a million dollars, they will not leave me." The guests were highly impressed with the disciples commitment to Srila Prabhupada and the disciples in turn were floating in the air feeling very proud of their dedication. After the guests left, Srila Prabhupada turned to his disciples and told them that there is nothing for them to be proud about because till now no one has given them a million dollars. Only when they reject such a kind of alluring offer will they prove their loyalty and dedication to this movement. Maya in various ways keeps alluring us with her irresistible attractive offers. Sh

" One who has faith in the inconceivable potencies of the Lord has no doubt that God can do anything ." - Radhanath Swami, Author and Spiritual leader The night after the subjugation of the great serpent Kaliya, Lord Krishna and His cowherd friends decided to rest on the banks of the Yamuna river. In the middle of the night, a huge forest fire enveloped them. It appeared that the fire would soon devour all the inhabitants of Vrndavana. As soon as they felt the warmth of the fire, they immediately took shelter of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They began to pray, "Our dear Krsna! O Supreme Personality of Godhead! Our dear Balarama, the reservoir of all strength! Please try to save us from this all devouring and devastating fire. We have no other shelter than You. This devastating fire will swallow us all!" These simple friends of Krishna are showing us the mood of a genuine devotee. As soon as a devotee is in trouble, he at once takes shelter of Krishna

Just because we give good discourses, doesn't mean that we are spiritually advanced. Just because we write nicely, doesn't mean that we are spiritually advanced. Just because we manage the temple nicely, doesn't mean that we are spiritually advanced. Just because we cook nice bhoga, doesn't mean that we are spiritually advanced. Just because we start many temples and centers, doesn't mean that we are spiritually advanced. Just because we have completed many projects, doesn't mean that we are spiritually advanced. Just because we have many followers and have made many devotees, doesn't mean that we are spiritually advanced. Just because we have organised many events, doesn't mean that we are spiritually advanced. Just because we dress the deities nicely, doesn't mean that we are spiritually advanced. Yes, these services are wonderful and laudable but we shouldn't forget the purpose of doing all these various services. Somehow, the nature of