LEARNING THE LANGUAGE OF "NEEDS"

Before the lockdown, I never wanted to stay in the ashram throughout the day. I always wanted to go out and do programs or meet people. I always felt that I am "on the move guy" and always wanted action. Now after the lockdown period and being at ashram for quite sometime, I must confess that I have begun to love staying here. I guess once the lockdown opens, it will be difficult for me to move out. I was reflecting on how our mind functions. The situation that was not all to my liking has now become most likable. The mind after all gets adjusted to whatever the situation is. It keeps constantly fluctuating between likes and dislikes without any rationale. Probably, that's the reason sages and scriptures warn us not to trust our minds. We can't take it's thinking, feeling and willing too seriously.

Even though the mind has no rationale, there is another rationale which we need to understand. That is the rationale of "our needs". This is the reason why am I happy now, even amidst this lockdown. I realized that my need was not to move out of the ashram but my need was to preach and be engaged in some productive way. Now that, I can get to do online classes and preach even being put up in one place only, I am happy. Once, we connect to what our needs are then, we can find a way to fulfill our needs even in different circumstances. Understanding the language of our needs is so important if we want to be happy and peaceful in world filled with changing circumstances. There is always a way to fulfill our needs if we are just open and flexible. We should be attached to the principle of understanding our needs and fulfilling them but we should be detached from the ways in which we fulfill this principle of fulfilling our needs.

- Achyut Gopal Das

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TRANSFORMING CURSES TO BLESSINGS - A tale of two trees

"Perhaps someday I'll crawl back home, beaten, defeated. But not as long as I can make stories out of my heartbreak, beauty out of sorrow." - Sylvia Plath, American poet and writer. Who doesn't like stories. Stories have always been loved by human civilization for eons probably because in the story of others, humans find semblance of their own stories. Some stories are entertaining, some inspiring, some touching and some enlightening. Here is one such story from the Srimad-Bhagvatam which contains all these aspects. This is a story of two trees - a story of the journey from bondage to freedom. This is a story of hope - a story of transformation. Even though this story happened 5000 years back, the lessons from it are still relevant and fresh. As you read this story, you may find clues to write or rewrite your personal story of transformation, hope, bliss and freedom. THE TURNING POINT This is the story of the deliverance of the twin Yamala Arjuna trees by L

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

CHANGING THE WORLD FOR ONE PERSON

To reach our ashram at Chodan island, we need to cross the Mandovi river by the government run ferry service. As the ferry vessel was docking the other night, it scooped a tiny little fish out of the water onto the ground. The tiny fish was flapping desperately to live. I somehow managed to put the fish back into the river. The fish was happy to have got to live more and I was happy to be of some help to this small friend. I remembered a quote I had read long ago - "Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person." How true it is. Whenever we get opportunities to be of help to someone, we should immediately grab it and try to do the best we can. Who knows, we may just save a life. Whenever, the ferryboat docks I try to be alert to look out for any fish that needs my help. Whether you travel in ferry or not, remember, there are always "fishes" out there who will need your help. Be watchful, be helpful. - Achyut Gopal Das

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