Skip to main content

THE MYSTERY OF LIFE

Today morning one of our very senior devotee from our Goa congregation, H.G. Gopanand Prabhu left his body. His life has been a glorious one, fully dedicated to practicing the principles of Krishna consciousness. Sitting near his body and chanting the Holynames in this final journey of his, I was wondering about the mystery of life. His body was appearing as if deep in sleep but this is such a sleep that one doesn't wake up from. What kind of mysterious life has God made! The body appears living but in actuality has no life of it's own. We realise the truth of this statement only when the soul leaves the body.
Participating in the departure ceremonies of so many devotees has left me a little wiser and sober in choosing the priorities of life. Life is such a mystery that we learn more about life from death than from life itself. Other than investing time and energy in Krishna consciousness, rest is just a vain. As they say, we need to learn to keep the main thing as the main thing. In this world of endless distractions and attractions, it is so crucial to keep focused on our main business.
I sincerely pray that the good and devoted soul of Gopanand Prabhu, attain shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna, His worshippable Lord and may we, who are still alive with a few more years to go, to meet our final destination always remember these two beautiful and meaningful verses from Sri Kevalashtakam and live our life in accordance to them -

ābrahmā-stamba-paryantaḿ
sarvaḿ māyā-mayaḿ jagat
satyaḿ satyaḿ punaḥ satyaḿ
harer nāmaiva kevalam

"The entire universe, from exalted Brahma down to the lowly clump of grass, is a product of the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord. The only thing that is reality, reality, again I say reality is the chanting of the Holynames. The holy name of Sri Hari alone is everything."

niḥśvāse nāhi viśvāsaḥ
kadā ruddho bhaviṣyati
kīrtanīya mato bālyād
harer nāmaiva kevalam
"There is no certainty when the last breath will come and put an abrupt halt to all one’s material plans; therefore, it is wise to always practice chanting from very childhood. The holy name of Sri Hari alone is everything."

- 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

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

TRANQUILITY AMIDST TURBULENCE - The formula to transcend this world

" 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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more