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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THE POWER OF OBEISANCES

Offering obeisances to the Supreme Lord in His deity form may superficially look like a very small and a simple activity. But, it is one one of the very important and significant aspect of Bhakti. Therefore Lord Krishna stresses the importance of offering obeisances to Him in one of the most important verse of the Bhagvat-gita in chapter 9, verse 34. "man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ" "Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." - Bhagvat-gita 9.34 This verse comes exactly in the middle of Bhagvat-gita making it all the more important. Not only that, this is the only verse that appears almost as it is, again towards the end of the eighteenth chapter of Bhagvat-gita as follows - "man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo ...

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