Skip to main content

CLOSE YOUR EYES AND OPEN

Don't build your house in shifting sand, build it on a solid rock foundation." - Paraphrased from the teachings of Jesus Christ.

As I close my eyes to chant japa and open my eyes a little while later, I notice that something has changed. Either someone who was chanting along has got up and left or someone new joins the chanting. As I close my eyes to chant in the Kirtan on the beach and open my eyes a little while later, I notice that the scene has changed. As I go outside Goa for a few days for any trip and come back, I notice that things have changed, some more development has happened. As I meet a child I know after a few years, I notice that he or she has gone through a lot of changes. Change after all is constant factor in this world. Just by observing life and being aware of the happenings around, one can learn about the truths of life.

Srimad-bhagvatam mentions the story of a King called Muchukunda who once was summoned by the demigods to lead a war on their behalf. When he finished his duties there and returned to the earthly realm, he saw that millennia had passed (due to the time difference between the heavenly and earthly realms) and he was shocked to see that literally everything and everyone had changed. If things change and shift every few moments, one can imagine the changes and shifts that occur after passage of millennia. 

As William Shakespeare writes in his famous play - "All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances." Just like in a play or a drama scenes keep changing and shifting similarly, in this world scenes keep shifting and changing. Let the shifting scenes of this world remind us to shift our focus on the un-shifting, steady, rock solid, spiritual principles of the spiritual world. And, if we live our life based on these spiritual principles then rest assured, one day when we close our eyes and open it, we will see that we have reached an extraordinary place where everything is constant and nothing changes.
- Achyut Gopal Das

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LET THE CHANTING NEVER STOP

" Make the worship of the Holynames, the most important aspect of your life " - Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati, foremost reformer of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. We all know that what is a reality today may not be a reality tomorrow. This world is in a constant flux, a constant change. Only God and His Holynames are a reality - today, tomorrow and forever. As one great soul sings in his song "Kevalashtakam" - abrahma stamba paryantam sarvam maya-mayam jagat satyam stayam punah satyam harer nama eva kevalam "The entire universe right from Brahma to an insignificant clump of grass are products of illusory energy of the Lord. The only reality, reality again I say reality - the Holyname of Lord Hari alone is everything." Therefore, real intelligence is to take shelter of the Holynames and not stop chanting at any cost. Good times - bad times, high times - low times, let every time be chanting time. In life or in death, let the chanting not stop. Th...
Post a Comment
Read more

ENROUTE TO THE SPIRITUAL WORLD

It is explained in the scriptures that on the route to the spiritual world, one will have to pass through the irresistibly attractive  heavenly planets. Only very rare and fixed up souls are able to get ahead of these tests and boldly march ahead to the spiritual world. Most decide to take a break and engage in their rendezvous at the highly-eulogized heavenly pleasure gardens. Thinking about making my journey through these heavenly realms without getting stranded in these heavenly realms is a scary thought. My only hope is, if I meet some devotee in those realms who helps me stay inspired and focused on the path to the spiritual world with an unwavering mind by reminding me as to how close I am to see the Supreme Lord face to face.     At every step in our journey to the spiritual world, we are fully dependent on the association of the devotees of the Lord. Without their ...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE RIGHT SIGHT

There is an elderly and a blind devotee named Bilwa Mangal Das, who stays in our temple at ISKCON Belgavi, Karnataka. It's been many years since I have seen him but the memories and impression about him are still fresh and new. Some people with their character and nature tend to make a deep impression in your heart. He is surely one of them. I remember seeing him for one of our annual pilgrimage to Vrindavan, the holy land of Lord Krishna. He was very old but very enthusiastic like a little boy. He would literally run with excitement as we went to see one holy site after another. I was wondering what this person was so excited about. He couldn't see anything. For him everything and everyplace is the same - all dark. But still he was very excited. I was thinking for myself, "Even though I had the eyes to see and was less than half his age still I didn't have the enthusiasm and excitement that he had." I was convinced that I may have materially eyes but I defi...
Post a Comment
Read more