Skip to main content

MY EXPERIENCE WITH SRIMAD-BHAGVATAM


 
Just completed a series of classes from the first canto of Srimad-Bhagvatam. We started these classes on April 15 and ended on September 28. Every day two classes of 30 minutes each, with few days gap in between. Total - 237 classes to be precise. My heart is filled with so much gratitude for being given this opportunity to speak from this great literature and complete the first canto. The experience is overwhelming. This will definitely be one my the biggest achievements, which I will cherish throughout my life. I am feeling so blessed that I feel, even if death comes to me at this point, there is no problem. My life has become perfect, that I have had the opportunity to read and speak from this great literature.

Srila Prabhupada always said, "My purports are my spiritual ecstasies". Reading and speaking everyday, from every word of his purport has made me appreciate the truth behind Srila Prabhupada's statement. If one wants to experience ecstasy, one need not go very far, one has to just open the pages of Srimad-Bhagvatam and dive into the nectar pouring out from the purports of Srila Prabhupada. It's that easy. Srila Prabhupada was such a genius, such a compassionate soul and such an empowered representative of Lord Krishna. You can genuinely feel his love and compassion in every word of his purport. My appreciation and love for Srila Prabhupada has grown a million times after completing discussing from Srimad-Bhagvatam.

As King Parikshit desires towards the end of the first canto, to keep hearing more and more of Srimad-Bhagvatam, my desire also towards the end of the first canto is to keep discussing from this great literature and thus complete the remaining 11 cantos. I will end this blog with the prayer of King Parikshit which appears in Srimad-Bhagvatam 1.19.15 -

tam mopayatam pratiyantu vipra
ganga ca devi dhrta-cittam ise
dvijopasrstah kuhakas taksako va
dasatv alam gayata visnu-gathah


"O brahmanas, just accept me as a completely surrendered soul, and let mother Ganges, the representative of the Lord, also accept me in that way, for I have already taken the lotus feet of the Lord into my heart. Let the snake-bird — or whatever magical thing the brahmana created — bite me at once. I only desire that you all continue singing the deeds of Lord Visnu."

- Achyut Gopal Das

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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 ma...

GAINING by GIVING - WINNING by SERVING

"Life is like a game of tennis - in order to win, you have to serve well." For two consecutive years, 2011 and 2012, we organised a contest for the school children across Goa called Gita Champions League (Henceforth referred to as GCL). We had a massive success with 3800 children participating the first year and 8600 children participating the second year. But, all this didn't come easily, we had to literally slog it out. Well, for that matter nothing wonderful comes easily, does it! THE BURDEN OF LOVE I took up GCL or rather GCL came to me at a time when I was going through intense personal struggles on literally every front - physically, mentally and institutionally. Yes, I was desperately praying for a service that could literally pull me out of the quagmire of my problems. I have always believed and witnessed the power of service. Service has always saved me in difficult times. The only reason, I am intact in my spiritual life despite the numerous challenges is beca...

MAKE IT A POINT TO MAKE THE POINT

A few days ago, as I was traveling on the ferry that takes us to our ISKCON Center at Chodan island, a relatively young man approached me and started to talk to me. My Vaishnava (devotee) attire probably attracted him to me. He was asking me if I was a preist in a temple. To which I said "Yes". I asked him where he stays and what he does. He told me that he stays in Panjim and runs a chicken shop in Porvorim. I asked him his name and as I guessed, he happened to be a Muslim. I could see marks of dried up blood stains in different places in his shirt. I at once told him to try to switch his profession to one which involves less violence. I suggested to him to start a vegetable or a grocery shop.  He seemed to be taken a little aback by what might have appeared to him to be a stange suggestion by a stranger. I told him that killing innocent animals is not right. They too have life and feelings like us. He was hearing me out. He then asked me, if one can eat chicken ...